LITTLE ROCK — Jean Dawson Stockburger Smith,

86, passed away Marc h 28, 2022, in Little Rock, Ark . , due to complications of a recent heart attack. Jean wa s born Clara Eugenia on February 4, 1936, to Joe and Mary Dawson in Scottsboro, Ala.

Jean was fond of the aphorism that the way to happiness was a sense of humor and a short memory. She did not hold grudges. And she always made sure that friends and family were aware of her love and affection.

It is commonly said that 150 is the optimal number of friendships: that the average person can maintain about 150 relationships with meaningful interactions. Jean was above average. She was admired for her ability to make friends and develop relationships.

Her professional colleagues were admired, cherished, and usually good friends. She was an avid bridge player, and although she enjoyed the competition, it was the companionship around the table that drove her passion for the game.

Jean was the Class of 1954 valedictorian of Jackson County High School in Scottsboro, Ala., and a 1958 graduate of Auburn University. At Auburn, she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and Phi Delta Phi honor fraternity. It was also at Auburn where she met and dated her second husband, David Smith. They were lucky enough to reconnect late in life after they were both widowed.

Jean received a Master of Social Work from Tulane University in 1962, where she met her first husband, John Stockburger.

She worked in social work from 1957-1970 in Selma, Ala., New Orleans, La., and El Dorado, Ark. Jean received her Juris Doctor from U. A. Little Rock School of Law in 1979, practicing with the Mitchell Williams Law Firm in Little Rock. Her legal work focused on estate planning, probate, taxation, and guardianships. Her background in social work was essential to her practice of law, and vice versa, saying, “I had to go to law school to be able to do social work.”

She was a member of many professional and civic organizations: Pulaski County Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Association, Arkansas Association of Women Lawyers, American Bar Association, Arkansas Bar Foundation, American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Central Arkansas Estate Council, and VOCALS ( Volunteers’ Organization Center for Arkansas Legal Services). She served on the boards of SCAT (Senior Citizens Activities Today); H.I.R.E., Inc. (Help Individuals Receive Employment); the Little Rock Community Mental Health Center; and in 1998, she was a founding member of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas.

She is preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husbands, John Calvin Stockburger and David Franklin Smith; and her son, Christopher Sean Stockburger, who recently passed away from brain cancer.

Jean is survived by her children, Scott Stockburger (Andrea), Staci Fritzges (Chris), Jennifer Stockburger, and Margaret Kubiszyn ( Jack); and grandchildren Sophia Stockburger, Clara Stockburger, Jack Fritzges, Ashton Fritzges, Violet Stockburger, Owen Stockburger, John David Kubiszyn and Daniel Kubiszyn.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Methodist Foundation of Arkansas (methodistfoundationar.org) or the First United Methodist Church in Scottsboro, Alabama (fumcscottsboro.org).

A visitation for Arkansas friends will be held on Thursday, March 31, 2022, from 5- 7 p. m. at Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 W Markham Street, Little Rock, Ark. A private family service and interment will be held at a later date in Scottsboro, Ala. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com