Good morning friends.  Today is out Mother’s Birthday.  Jess wrote a really nice birthday story for her.  Before you read that I wanted to mention what I asked her on the phone last night.  I asked her what positive message would you like to share with our ELS friends around the word ?

Joann’s Answer; “If people committed the time doing things that make them happy that they commit to worrying all the time, your life will be much better.  Ok, Jessica’s story on Jo Ann Smith starts now.

Happy Birthday to our gorgeous Mother, Jo Ann Santoro Smith. We are wishing her a very happy birthday today, and hoping that all of her deepest wishes come true.

There really is no one like our Mother. She has an amazing heart, and she is truly brilliant. Not to mention that the word “Spitfire” wouldn’t do her justice. Our mother doesn’t mince words at all. She’s always been a force to be reckoned with. In fact she was born that way.

One story comes to mind from when Jo Ann was a toddler in her highchair. She had recently learned the phrase ” God Dam* It”. She was repeating it over and over , as her Mom was feeding her one day. Her Father came into the Kitchen and scolded her. He said “Jo Ann, if you say that one more time, I’m going to wash your mouth out with soap!”. She then went on to say it again “God Dam* it!”. Her father went and got the soap immediately, and rubbed it into her mouth. She winced from the soap as she sat there.  So he looked at her then and said “Now how does THAT taste?”,  and she looked him in the eye and said, “Good, God Dam* it!”. They couldn’t help but laugh at how stubborn she was in nature. But she was always loving , loyal and always had a heart of Gold.

As a child she went to church very often, and wanted to be a nun, but as she grew up more, that aspiration changed. She later became a much beloved second grade school teacher. Her students have memories of her tap dancing for them on top of her teachers desk, and teaching them a real love of learning. She made it fun. She was extremely hands on and made a difference in each of those children’s lives. She was also incredibly beautiful, and still is.

Love and destiny found her one night at a friends party. She was sitting alone at a table with an empty seat next to her. A gorgeous man, a tall, dark stranger approached her , and said ” Is anyone sitting here?”  She said “No”, and the rest is history. It was love at first site. That stranger was Barry Smith, our father.

Barry and Jo Ann’s love story was a beautiful one. I’ve never seen two people so crazy about eachother. From the night they first met, until they day he passed away, they were inseparable. She was his everything, and she was madly in love with him.

It’s been 31 years since our Fathers passing,  and our Mother has been unwavering in her strength and devotion. Even after losing our father, she always made us feel that we had someone there who would defend us to the death. She’s had a lot of blows thrown at her since he died, and still she continues to fight.

In 2008 Jo Ann had the same open heart surgery that our father Barry had so many years ago. Even while going into that surgery, she stood up and walked into the operating room
with a smile on her face, being brave again, for us. Thank God all went well. She’s one of the strongest women I’ve ever known.

So with that , we say Thank you, Mom. Thank you for everything. For taking on the world for us, for never giving up , for being there under any circumstance , at any time. For being the toughest little firecracker on earth. Like all families , we argue, but our love is never in question.

We love you ❤️!

With so much love,
From Jessica Lee Smith,
For Sammy & Family