Lavonna Lea (Shaw) Smith

LaVonna Lea (Shaw) Smith, daughter of the late John and Evelyn (Smith) Shaw, was born March 17, 1963, in Cabool, Missouri, and departed this life March 31, 2022, at her home in Springfield, Missouri. She was 59 years and 14 days of age.

LaVonna grew up in the Mountain Grove area and married Darrell Smith on June 18, 1982, in Mountain Grove, Missouri. Two children were born to this union.

LaVonna was a woman of many talents. She worked in insurance and assisted Darrell in their business of Smith Seed Services and their farm. She was the head cheerleading coach for Mountain Grove Middle School and High School for many years, National Cheerleading Association regional director, and Miss Missouri Teen USA field director. LaVonna was also owner and property manager for Palm Village Apartment Homes.

She always said her most important job though was being a mother. She poured her life into her children and never missed an opportunity supporting them. She also was the Nana to seven grandchildren who consumed the last 11 years of her life. If you knew LaVonna, you knew her grandbabies were the center of her world. She always had crafts lined up for them to do together, showed each of them how important they were to her, and always shared Jesus with them every time they were together. LaVonna loved interior and floral design, furniture refurbishing, wood staining, and anything else that allowed her to be creative. She was an excellent cook and always showed her family, friends, and neighbors how much they were loved. She also loved the beach and spent many years traveling in the summers as a family.

LaVonna accepted Jesus as her Savior at Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church and was baptized as a young girl. Before her health declined, she was a Sunday school teacher and often sang specials with her mother on Sunday morning. She was a devoted Christian wife and mother and always reminded those around her of the love that Jesus has for each of us, even through the storms of life.

She is survived by her husband, Darrell Smith, one daughter, Jennifer Riddle and husband, Jay, and one son, Thomas Smith and wife, Cheyanne, seven grandchildren, Brayden, Cora, Hadley, Parker, Claire, Bristyn, and Cole, ten siblings, Wanda Noel, Linda Shaw, Steve Shaw and wife, Susie, Gary Burch, Glenn Burch and wife, Carrie, Norma Burch, Eddie Burch and wife, Belinda, Sharon Brown and husband, Scott, Richard Shaw, Ron Shaw and wife, Connie. She was preceded in death by her parents and two sisters, Laura Shaw and Janell Milton. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.