Rita Ann Manuel Smith, age 68, passed away on Sunday morning, December 28, 2014, at the Leisure Village Nursing Home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Funeral services will be held at 2 oclock in the afternoon on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at First Baptist Church of Ville Platte, Louisiana. Pastor Kevin West will be officiating. Mrs. Smith was born on July 27, 1946, in Eunice, LA. She married the love of her life, Fred A. Smith, in Portsmouth, England, on October 2, 1965. Eventually, the couple settled in Lafayette, LA, where they helped to raise Ritas baby sister and two nieces alongside their own daughter. Rita was an avid reader of most all kinds of literature, even working in a bookstore to pay for her collection of books! She loved playing BINGO and spending time with her girls. She was preceded in death by her parents - Herbert and Elise Manuel; one sister, Phyllis Ardoin; and her husband of almost 40 years. Survivors include her daughter - Victoria Smith of Collinsville, OK; her sister - JoAnn Love of Seymour, IN; and two nieces - Tara Fontenot and Sarah Castille, both of Ville Platte, LA. Rita is also survived by an extended family whom she dearly loved, including two nephews, four great nephews, and two great nieces as well as several great-great nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to any local library, church library, or program which supports literacy. Service: 01/25/2015 00:00 2:00 p.m. First Baptist Church 750 West Main Street Ville Platte, Louisiana 70586