Eureta Lee Smith

Eureta Lee DeArman Smith, 79 of Slaughterville, Oklahoma was born on July 19, 1941 in Maysville, Oklahoma to Ota Bert DeArman and Vera Naomi (Siner) DeArman. God took Eureta home on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 after an extended illness. Eureta lived in Oklahoma all of her life, except for a one year period when she lived in Daytona Beach, Florida. Eureta loved vegetable gardening and growing flowers. She especially enjoyed baking and decorating cakes for friends and family. Birthdays were always a major family event for all, with festivities and dinner. She truly loved the outdoors, always going fishing and camping. Her favorites were doing anything that involved family and especially grandchildren. Eureta always loved a challenge and was willing to take on anything. Over the years, as a single parent, she wore many hats; e.g., waitress, restaurant manager, Office Manager, and convenience store manager. But she found her true life career in corrections. She joined the Oklahoma Department of Corrections as a clerk/typist in 1976 at the Lexington Assessment Center. One year later she was in a correctional officer’s uniform and was the first woman in Oklahoma ever allowed to work inside a male prison, as well as being on the Emergency Squad (SWAT) and was an attack dog trainer and handler. She worked her way up in the ranks promoting from Sergeant to Acting Deputy Warden, and finally after 21 years, retired as a Unit Manager in August 1999. She is survived by one daughter, Sandy and David Thompson; one son, Kevin Smith; 4 grandchildren, Bradley David Thompson, Terrell Clayton, and Haley Thompson, Courtney Ly’nnea Thompson, Danielle and Preston Throckmorton, and one great grandchild, Leah Rodriquez. Sister, Virginia Loys Sadberry of Denton, Texas, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. An uncle, Wayne Jordon of Claremont, California, and an aunt Earnestine Lewis of Denton, Texas. Eureta was preceded in death by her parents, Bert and Naomi DeArman; maternal/paternal grandparents, William J. and Clemmie Siner and James Wilson and Ardena DeArman. One granddaughter, Morgan Mackenzie Smith, forever 17. Six brothers: Roy Bert, James Samuel, Kenneth Glenn, Orval Melvin “Tuffy”, Earl Howard DeArman, and Derrell Sadberry. One siser, Laverne Bucher. Husband, Fred Meredith Sheets and her children’s father, James Harvey Smith. The family expects masks to be in place along with social distancing at both church and cemetery. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 am, Saturday, October 17, 2020 at the First Baptist Church, Maysville with Bro. Brent Higgins officiating. Burial will be in the Maysville Cemetery under the direction of John W. Williams of Winans Funeral Home, Maysville, OK. Words of comfor t may be sent to the family at www.winansfuneralhome.com