ROGERS — Caroline Dean Smith,

of Rogers, died Friday, January 26, 2024, at age 80. She was born November 29, 1943, in Germantown, Tenn., and was preceded in her death by her parents Stuart and Adelaide Dean. She graduated from Germantown High School, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., and completed her master’s degree in English from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

While completing her graduate work, she met Dick Smith of Fordyce, Ark., attending UA law school, who would become her greatest love, best friend, closest ally, and sharpest sparring partner. After finishing their degrees, they married in 1968 and lived in West Memphis, Ark., while she taught English at Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) in 1971. They moved to Rogers, Ark., when its population barely topped 11,000. For the next 55 years, they would help their new community grow and thrive.

In their first Rogers home, they met Jenny and Harry Harmon, their backyard neighbors, when the couples’ toddler daughters played at the dividing fence. The girls had to go around the block to play with each other, so Harry and Dick cut a hole in the fence and hung a gate to allow the girls access to each other. The families developed a lifelong friendship.

Caroline and Dick bought into Harry’s vision to build houses, together with their friends Tom and Gloria Hopper, atop a steep hill of untamed woods overlooking the dam at Lake Atalanta. Access to the land included crossing a creek and driving up a narrow, winding oneway road. Caroline was open to the wild experiment that became Creekwood Hill and agreed to build her home there. Nearly 45 years later, she refused to consider leaving.

Caroline’s greatest enjoyment came from raising her two daughters, Carrie Fanning and Nell Smith. At least that’s what her daughters believe, and they are writing the obituary. Carrie and Nell know for sure she was an incredible mom. Caroline encouraged them to try new activities but never let them quit midway through. She cultivated a vast network of moms (informants) and never let her daughters get away with teenage shenanigans. She took them to 6 a.m. swim practice and evening sports events for drill team and band obligations. She developed increasingly creative strategies to get them to eat breakfast, earning the title Crescent Roll Queen.

Caroline loved her sonsin-law, Joe Fanning, for his compassion and clarity, and Ed Gubbins for making her laugh. She adored her grandchildren, Ben Fanning, Henry Gubbins, Mia Fanning, and Willa Fanning. She hosted annual beach vacations to connect with both families who lived far from Rogers.

Caroline loved to cook, and her creations were perennial favorites at Gene and Joye Kelley’s annual July 4th party. Regular attendees eagerly anticipated her treats and took a peek as soon as the dish hit the potluck table. She taught her daughters to find comfort in the smell of shallots sauteing in butter, that chocolate always soothes a bad day, and, most importantly, food is love.

Caroline served on the League of Women Voters, and, with her lifelong friends, she campaigned for Democrats she trusted. Over the decades, she was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Rogers, she sang in the church’s choir and served as deacon and elder. She served as the Rogers High School scholarship coordinator, raising thousands of dollars to help students pay for college. Her lifelong love of reading drew her to serve on the Rogers Library Board and as a member of one of the oldest (and still going) book clubs in northwest Arkansas. Caroline battled and beat breast cancer three times.

She is survived by her husband, Dick Smith; her daughters, Carrie Fanning (Joe Fanning) of Nashville, Tenn., and Nell Smith (Ed Gubbins) of Little Rock, Ark.; and her grandchildren, Ben Fanning, Henry Gubbins, Mia Fanning, and Willa Fanning. She is also survived by her brother, Phillip Dean of Germantown, Tenn., and his family.

A service to honor her memory will be held April 13, at 1 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Rogers, 1901 South 26th Street, Rogers. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Caroline D. Smith Memorial Scholarship at Rogers High School. Checks should be made payable to the Rogers Development Foundation, with “Caroline D. Smith Memorial Scholarship” written in the memo line of the check, and mailed to 317 W. Walnut Street, Rogers, Ark. 72756.

Caroline loved to read, travel, cook and laugh. We will hold her with us when we do the same.