Barbara Lynn Smith

Barbara Lynn Smith, 66, passed away on April 12, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. Barbara was the 7th child born to Rufus and Hazel Mack on January 18, 1959, in Middletown, Ohio. Barbara was born a fighter; she spent her early days in the hospital having to undergo kidney surgery as a newborn. This did not stop her from having a normal life; she was a good kid and made good grades. She attended Taft Elementary, McKinley Jr High, and graduated from Middletown High School in 1977. As a kid, Barbara, affectionately known as Bobbie to family and friends, loved to go to the park and play. Bobbie loved to dance and have a good time, and she was the only person at home who could do the Scorpio dance. As a teen, she spent every summer working with the kids at the Middletown Community Center. The money she earned allowed her to express her love for shopping.

Shortly after graduating from high school, she moved to Columbus in the late 70s with her son Aaron, to live with her sister Linda. While in Columbus, Barbara was reunited with one of her brother's childhood friends, Shawn, and a courtship began. Shawn and Barbara were married on November 29, 1979. Their union produced Shawnta, Brandi, and Shawn Jr. Barbara spent the next 20 years as a military wife, moving with her husband to Germany, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Missouri. In Germany, she was introduced to the Jehovah's Witnesses and began to have regular Bible studies. When she moved to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the late 80s, she was baptized January 24, 1987, as a witness and attended meetings regularly with all her children. Although she was a military wife, Barbara did many side jobs to contribute to the household. She worked for the military payroll department once a month, and she ran an in-home daycare for other military families, with some kids spending weeks with her while their parents were deployed. She also had a cleaning business; families would pay her to clean their military housing so they could pass move-out inspections.

In 1988, Barbara and Shawn returned home to Columbus, Ohio. Barbara began her career with the Ohio Department of Youth Services where she started as a youth leader at the Scioto Village for girls. She worked with young girls that we locked up for many crimes including murder. Barbara always had compassion for the girls and looked for the best in them. She would bring them books to read and give them lots of encouragement.

Barbara went back to school and earned her degree in 1990, which led to her taking another job in the administration office of Scioto then later transitioning to the central office of Department of Youth Services (DYS). Barbara worked for DYS for 30 years retiring in 2019.

Barbara was a creative person and had many different ways of expressing it. She loved decorating her home, from DIY projects to major home renovations she never backed down from a project. If you walked into her home any given Saturday afternoon you would smell pine -sol and see HGTV on the television. There are so many things that can be said about Barbara, she was a beautiful soul that will be deeply missed by all.

Barbara had an unwavering faith in Jehovah and fought to live until the very end. After spending months in the hospitals in Columbus, she requested to be transferred to Chicago with hopes of receiving a bloodless lung transplant to save her life and align with her faith, unfortunately her condition worsened before the transplant could occur. Barbara passed peacefully surrounded by her loved ones.

Survivors include: mother Hazel Mack; mother-in-law Hazel Smith, sons, Aaron (Myosha) Mack of Virginia, Shawn (Hannah) Smith Jr. of Pataskala; daughters Shawnta Mack of Pataskala and Brandi Smith of Columbus; grandchildren Tarin, Brandon, Aaron Jr., Rayshawna, Tehron, Christopher, Ayden, Sharif, Ava, Reece and Erin; great-granddaughter Tru expected 9/2025 sisters Brenda Vann and Donna Mack of Middletown, Linda Bess of Reynoldsburg, Yasmin Sykes of Virginia; Cortesa Smith, Senethia (Micah) Osburn, Nichole Smith of Columbus; Nikki Smith of Maryland; brothers Lawrence (Roslyn) Mack of Dayton and Mylan Smith of Columbus; Best Friend Candance Bost-Hunter as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Shawn R. Smith Sr., Father Rufus Mack, and brothers Stewart and Chris Mack.