Dr. Jeannine Kirkpatrick Smith

Dr. Jeannine Kirkpatrick Smith, 69, exhaled her last earthly breath and inhaled the Breath of Heaven on Oct. 27, 2022, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Columbus, Miss. Courageous to the end, she finished her race with the same grace and dogged determination she lived her life.

A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, at Berea Baptist Church (22828 Attala Road, McCool, Miss.). Immediately following the service, friends and family are invited to a celebration of Jeannine’s life in the Fellowship Hall. The meal will be a tribute to 48 years ago when the Smiths married in a simple ceremony with dinner on the grounds provided by friends and family.

She is survived by her devoted husband, David Smith; her children Mariah and Kerry (Mallorie) Smith as well as by her much-loved grandchildren, Aurilla and Henry, all of Starkville. She is also survived by her sister, Jo Ann Kirkpatrick of French Camp, and brothers Joel (Michelle) of Spring, TX and Jeff (Karen) Kirkpatrick of French Camp. She leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews who will remember her fondly for her willingness to rock them in her lap, host tea parties, the epic Golden Girls themed 65th birthday party, and the late-night MASH marathons.

Jeannine was the daughter of Max and Mary Kirkpatrick of the Berea Community in Attala County. She attended and graduated from French Camp Academy.

Jeannine received her bachelor’s degree in business from the Mississippi University for Women. She earned her a master’s degree in industrial technology in 1995 and a doctorate in education in 2001, both from MSU.

Before her retirement in 2019, Jeannine served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Boll Weevil Program at the MSU Extension Service and worked with cotton farmers across Mississippi. She was an accomplished author, researcher and genealogist. Her favorite past time was looking up records in libraries and putting the pieces of her family history together.

Her love for history and her adopted hometown of Artesia led her to write the book, “Tales of Tom Wilburn,” which compiles personal stories and photos of life in Mississippi’s prairie land and of the early days of harness-horse racing across the United States and Mexico.

Before her health declined and Covid hit, Jeannine was an active member of Crosspoint Baptist Church. The family is grateful for the care of Dr. Cameron Huxford of Olive Branch, MS who specialized in Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and whom Jeannine dearly loved. The family also wishes to thank nurse Rita Seawright for her weekly care of their beloved wife and mother.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dr. Jeannine K. Smith Scholarship in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University or the Alpha-1 Foundation. Jeannine spent 14 years actively living with the effects of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a genetic disorder that impacts the liver and eventually lungs. She worked to coordinate the first Alpha-1 conference in Mississippi for those suffering from the disease.

Jordan Funeral Home of Kosciusko is in charge of the arrangements.