Rose Marie Smart

Memorial services for Mrs. Rose Marie “Mama Rose” Smart, 87, of Middleton, will be held in the coming days at the Shackelford Funeral Directors chapel in Middleton. Please check here periodically for more information.

The widow of Mr. Jack Smart, she passed from this life early Tuesday morning, May 27, 2025, at her son's home in Germantown.

She was born in Memphis, the daughter of the late William S. Smith and Catherine Chrestman. She married Mr. Smart on October 25, 1958 and they moved to Hardeman County, to live in the Pocahontas-Middleton area, in 1977. Mr. Smart departed this life on March 15, 2014. In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Toni Michelle (Smart) Rodgers; a sister, Myra Louise Doran; and two brothers, Harold and William Smith.

Mrs. Smart retired from TKE (formerly Dover) in Middleton in 1994 following nine years of service. She was a very active member of the Middleton First Baptist Church where she managed many different roles over the decades, including director of the pre-school and nursery departments and costume designer and seamstress for VBS and numerous other productions. She loved working with and caring for children, lovingly referred to as “Mama Rose” by many in her community.

She leaves her son, William Gary Smart (Cheryl) of Germantown; three sisters, Midge Brame and Yvonne Sylvester, both of Reidsville, NC and Fay Logsdon of Horn Lake, MS; a brother, Wayne Clackum of Coldwater, MS; five grandchildren, Zach (Kayla), Kirk (Alexis), Lindsay, Austin and Kelsey (G. P.); and 11 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers and gifts, Mama Rose’s desire was that charitable donations be made in her honor to the charity of the donor’s choice.