Julia "Julie" Ann Smith

Julia “Julie” Ann (Panther) Smith, age 62, of Bartlesville, Okla., peacefully went home to Jesus on December 31, 2020. Julia was born on June 28, 1958 to Ruth D. (Ahlen) and Harold Maurice Panther in Cedar Falls, IA. Julia attended Cedar Falls High School and graduated from Black Hawk Tech in 1975. In 1978, she met David “Dave” Loren Smith at Pepsi Co. in Lincoln, NE, where their eyes met and later learned they only lived two blocks apart. They were married on June 3, 1978 in the Sunken Gardens, Lincoln, NE and went on to have 3 children and 3 grandchildren in Bartlesville, Okla. She volunteered over the years at West Side Community Center, Women and Children in Crisis, taught preschool at The Learning Center, Little Lambs, and CDC, and ran a home daycare while teaching Sunday School and served as Superintendent and Board of Education member at Redeemer Lutheran Church. She later pursued a B.S. degree in Elementary Education at Northeastern State University (2000) and nearly completed a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction as a Reading Specialist with Concordia University Portland Oregon. She was a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Theta Kappa, and Alpha Chi. After graduation, she was a teacher at Richard Kane Elementary for 14 years. Julia was passionate about teaching and loved what she did for a living. She was a believer in Love and Logic and Great Expectations and she spent countless hours making sure each student would succeed. In addition to being a devoted wife, mother and Nana, she attended CityChurch online, enjoyed helping others, teaching, shopping, music, cross stitching, painting crafts, gardening, travel with her family, raising and showing collie dogs, writing, reading adventure stories, watching mystery crime shows, baking and canning foods, drinking tea and being in nature, especially near water and mountains. Julia joins her parents Ruth (July 2010) and Harold Panther (Sept. 1963), step fathers Robert Lear (Feb. 1981) and Grant Bennett (Nov. 2002), and brother Stephen Panther (May 2020) in Heaven. She is survived by her loving and dedicated husband Dave Smith; Children (Spouses): Jennifer (Enrique) Cordero, Christopher Smith, Michelle Smith, and grandchildren Leah Cordero, Xavier Cordero, and Tauren Freeman; Her siblings Ronald (Elsie) Panther, Richard (Dawn) Panther, Nora (Michael) Tribble, and sister-in-law Krisan Panther and many extended family and friends. In lieu of flowers, friends who wish may make memorial donations in Julia’s memory, to the following organizations:: The National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association, The Rainforest Trust , In Touch Ministries or in memory of Julia Smith to your own preferred nonprofit. The National Fibromyalgia &Chronic Pain Association https://fibroandpain.org/ The Rainforest Trust https://www.rainforesttrust.org/ In Touch Ministries https://www.intouch.org/ Come and go visitation for friends will be at the Stumpff Funeral Home on Thursday, January 7, 2021 from 9 AM until 4 PM and the Smith family will receive guests at the funeral home on Thursday from 4 PM until 6 PM. A memorial Celebration of Life will take place at a location and future date to be determined.

Julia "Julie" Ann Smith

June 28, 1958 - December 31, 2020