Connie Melanson Smith

Connie Frances Melanson Smith Just before Noon on Saturday morning, October 11, 2014, Connie Frances Melanson Smith decided to free herself of the suffering she endured for so long as a result of lung cancer. She was two months shy of her 57th birthday. She was tenacious until the end, full of quiet strength. Everyone who watched with anger as she fought the waves of attack couldn't help but notice how gracefully she handled it all. She just faced it head on. She was accustomed to dealing with suffering and helping others through their own ordeals, so she transformed it into something positive and lived as an example of perseverance to those surrounding her. Connie was a classic optimist. A selfless mother. An ever-embracing friend. An adventurous travel buddy. A lover of the outdoors. A collector of memories that counted. A classy woman through and through. She was born in Lake Charles, LA on December 11, 1957, and married her true love on April 24, 1976. She spent several decades in Kingwood, TX raising her children, then travelled the country with her husband Gary enjoying a life of adventure before settling down in Bastrop, TX near her adult children and granddaughter. Connie is survived by countless people whom she touched-- not through grand gestures-- but just by being a gentle, sweet, loving, tiny woman with a wonderful sense of humor, impossibly gorgeous eyes, and the most charming smile you've ever seen. She will be remembered by those dearest to her, especially her husband, Gary Lane Smith. He was the love of her life, and she was his. They raised the bar impossibly high for those who witnessed the depths of their devotion. She is also survived by one daughter and three sons: Amy Dawn Smith Dowell, Russell Allen Smith, Brent James Smith and Ryan Paul Smith. She gave everything to them. Connie was blessed with a precious year-old granddaughter, Remy Lane Dowell, who was often referred to as "mini-Connie." Her children's partners also suffer her passing, as she treated them as her very own. Connie is also survived by her sister Janice Melanson McKelvy and family, and brother Michael Melanson and family. Connie adored her father, Walter Melanson, a talented steel guitar player and a sweet, loving man, whom she lost in April 2007. Connie lost her mother Jane Havenar in January 2011. In 2007, she visited one of her favorite places, Mulate's Cajun Restaurant, where she bought a cajun music CD. After she departed us, Gary found the CD and discovered that Connie had written something beautifully reflective on the back: "I was born a Cajun in Lake Charles, Louisiana, but I never learned to speak a word of French. I moved away at the age of 23 to Texas. Now at age 47, I travel all over the United States with my best friend, buddy and soul mate. I collect souvenirs from all the different states I have been. While traveling and passing through Lafayette, LA, Gary asked if had any souvenirs from Louisiana. I then realized I didn't. I now have this Cajun CD as a remembrance of my heritage, and also a remembrance of my father's passion." Services for Connie will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2014 in Bastrop, Texas. Visitation will be held from 10am to 1pm, and the Memorial Service will begin at 1pm-- both at the Bastrop Providence Funeral Home, 2079 Texas Hwy 71, Bastrop, TX 78602. (512)-308-9188. Connie will be cremated and eternally cared for by her best friend, Gary.