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Mildred Avis Smith

Mildred Avis Smith, of Olton, Texas passed away Aug. 9, 2017 at almost 99 years of age.

A funeral service was held on Friday, August 11, 2017 in the Lemons Memorial Chapel. Interment followed in the Abernathy Cemetery under the personal care of Lemons Funeral Home.

Avis was born in Giles, Texas on Nov. 14, 1918 to Dr. Elmer Calvin and Mary (Baskin) Smith.

In her 99 years on this Earth she experienced the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, the family farm blown away by a tornado and her husband imprisoned in Stalag 4B after being taken prisoner at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.

She was a feminine pioneer in small business as a restaurant owner in Hub, Texas and Taos Canyon, New Mexico.

She successfully established and operated a nursing home in Plainview, Texas for 30-plus years.

She was preceded in death by her parents Dr. E.C. Smith and Mary, four brothers, four sisters, two sons and her husband Jesse E. Phillips.

Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter Mary Gibson of Honey Grove, Texas and her son C. Don Phillips of Seeleys Cove, New Brunswick, Canada.

She is also survived by a granddaughter, Monica Phillips Graff.

The family salutes the tenacity and contribution of this very lovely lady. May she rest in peace. Online condolences may be made at www.lemonsfunerals.com.