Olive Clyde Herring Fitch Smith

Olive Clyde Herring Fitch Smith, age 90, passed away at her home Friday morning, December 28, 2012. Ms. Olive's funeral mass will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at St. Mary's Catholic Church with Father Sam Messina presiding. Visitation will be held on Monday evening, 12/31/12, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Wells Funeral Home, with Rosary at 7:00 p.m. Interment will follow on Wednesday morning, January 2, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., in Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, TN. She was born on February 17, 1922 to Olive Clyde Bell & Sammuel Irving Herring, Jr. in Courtland, MS. Olive attended Batesville High School and after graduation, in 1939, she continued her education at MS State College for Women where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in 1943. While at MSCW she was a member of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society. During her career, she worked as a Medical Technologist at the Greenville Air Force Base. From there she went on to work in Batesville at the Stone Medical Clinic for several years, where she was laboratory technician and researcher. Ms. Olive was active in all facets of the medical practice there. Later, she worked for the Research Dept. of the University of TN at the VA Hospital in Memphis, TN; where she received special recognition for her research done with Multiple Sclerosis. Olive worked for many years in the medical field and retired from the University of TN. During Ms. Olive's life, she was selected to represent Batesville, MS as "Miss Batesville" on the Goodwill Tour in 1940, which advertised the construction of The Sardis Dam, built by the U.S. Army Corp. Of Engineers. She traveled from Sardis to the southern most parts of Mississippi while on the tour. Olive was honored to accept the "Woman of the Year" award by the Memphis Chapter of the American Business Women's Association. She and her late husband, H.B. Fitch were founding members of St. Mary's Catholic Community Church in Batesville where she was still an active member. Among other memberships, she enjoyed playing an active roll for the VFW Auxiliary. During the 80's and 90's Ms. Olive participated in competive ball room dancing. She also volunteered at The Charles Wilson VA Hospital in Lufkin, TX. She was an avid gardener who especially loved Azaleas! To cherish her memory she leaves her daughter, Laurie Monteith of Batesville, and a son, Jim Smith of Dalton, VA, 9 Grandchildren and 6 Great Grandchildren, along with a host of nieces & nephews. She was preceded in death by her two previous husbands, H.B. Fitch and Jimmie G. Smith, a son, John Michael Fitch and her sister, Joan Herring Dorr. The family asks that anyone wishing to send memorials, send those to St. Mary's Catholic Church, P.O. Box 569, Batesville, MS 38606.