A bright and beautiful light has left this earth and taken up her place in Heaven.  However the spirit of the Eternal Optimist lives on in her six children and nine grandchildren.

Normareen was a “Merry Christmas” baby born December 21, 1930, to Joseph Hamilton Buvens and Norma O’Rene Montgomery Buvens in Many, Louisiana.  Her spirit was as unique as her name.  She has always been a happy person and she shared her love of singing her whole life with her family, church and friends.  Normareen’s love of the piano began at five.  She had a glorious, well trained voice and sang on local radio programs and for her Mother’s friends and clubs.  She moved to Port Arthur in 1943 and lived in this area the rest of her life.  She attended St Mary’s High School, and then graduated at 16 from Thomas Jefferson High School.  Many members of the Thomas Jefferson Class of ‘47 have remained lifelong friends.  Normareen sang with Eloise Milam’s Melody Maids.  They toured throughout the US and Mexico and sang for the USO.  She studied voice and opera at Lamar University with Dr. George Parks.

Normareen attended Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, The University of Houston, and then completed her studies at Lamar University for her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Education and Music.  She met Luther T. Smith at Lamar and he proposed to her high above the Neches River at the top of the Rainbow Bridge.  They were married at Rose Hill Manor on December 17, 1951.  Normareen and Luther were blessed with six children and nine grandchildren.

Normareen began her teaching career in Port Neches Groves ISD, then taught in Little Cypress CISD, and taught in Port Arthur ISD for the last 20 years of her career as an educator.   She made sure her students developed a love for education and they all wanted to go to school when they had Mrs. Smith because a hug and a smile were guaranteed. While teaching music in the Port Arthur ISD she wrote the music and lyrics for the original song “Port Arthur is My Hometown” to build civic pride in her students.  Normareen completed her Master’s Degree in Education while teaching school and raising her six children.

Life in the Smith household was always busseling and happy.  Normareen loved to travel so the station wagon was loaded and the family traveled to most of the State Capitols, Washington D.C., Mexico and Canada.  The family experienced HemisFair, the first tour of the King Tut exhibit and many other notable events.  As they traveled, the car was filled with stories from history and happy songs of love.   After retiring, Normareen and her husband traveled across Europe.  While in the chapel of Pisa, Italy she astonished tourists when the Holy Spirit moved her to sing Ave Marie, filling the domed chamber with her angelic voice.  In 2005 she traveled to Ireland and Scotland retracing her family lineage. 

Normareen loved musicals and participated with her children in numerous Port Arthur Little Theater productions, including hits like Oliver, Music Man and the Sound of Music.  She was featured as the Mother Superior in the hit production of the Sound of Music. Normareen always sang in the church choir and also sang with the Interfaith Choir and Beaumont Civic Opera. She was a member and officer with the Federated Women’s Clubs for over 60 years.  She shared her voice and musical talent by singing for many clubs, organizations and special events. Normareen created the “Singing Smith’s” and enlisted her six children to entertain at retirement homes and for other groups with musical medleys at Christmas and patriotic programs for Flag Day, Veterans Day and the Fourth of July.

Normareen nurtured her children’s patriotism by leading The Children of the American Revolution as Senior President.   Normareen was also Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  In 1972 her family was named by the Port Arthur News as the “All American Family” and was featured in the Sunday newspaper.  She developed a family tradition of baking honey whole wheat bread, which she shared with family and friends, and along with her children, winning the Port Arthur News cooking contest.   Her positive spirit and creative talents inspired her to start painting.  She developed her own style of happy and colorful art, working mainly in watercolors and acrylics, and was recognized nationally with the Grumbacher Award.   Normareen always had a vision for the next great project:  a family-built swimming pool, an art studio, self publishing and illustrating her mother’s early 20th century childhood stories of life in the Texas “Hill Country” including “Just Inside the Gate” and “A Salute for Trixie”.  Normareen inspired her students and children to love learning, with all six of her children earning bachelor degrees from Lamar University and three of her children earning doctoral degrees.  Normareen also loved sharing her passion for art and music with her grandchildren.

Normareen worked to build lasting friendships and loved everyone just as they are, regardless of their status, position or circumstance.  As an only child of an only child, of an orphan child, Normareen gave her greatest gift to her children, who have the loving brothers and sisters she did not.  She is survived by her six children, Terrell Buvens Smith and his wife Peggy of Marble Falls; Dr Norma Christina Smith-Tyler and her husband Revis of Fair Oaks Ranch; Montgomery Luther Smith and his wife Sherri of Fair Oaks Ranch; Marioreen Patricia Smith Gibson and her husband Mike of Beaumont; Darlijo Smith of Beaumont; and Seth Orman Smith of Austin. Also nine grandchildren; Andrea’ and Stephen Smith; Micah and Mariel Gibson; Hamilton and Hanlyn Tyler; and Montgomery, Mason and Marshal Smith.

Our family cherishes Mother’s caregivers Sharon Kent, Patricia Maldonaldo and April Adaway for their loving care as they walked this journey with our family.

Her funeral service will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 26, 2011, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 4090 Delaware, Beaumont.  A committal will be 4:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Fort Jesup Cemetery in Many, Louisiana under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont.  A gathering of her family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. with a Time of Remembrance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25, 2011, at Broussard’s.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Choir, 4090 Delaware, Beaumont, Texas 77706 or to the Senior Morning Out Club c/o Trinity United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 5247, Beaumont, Texas 77726.