Sandra "Sandy" Christine (Smith) Hays, 71, of Cabot passed away August 16, 2023. She was born September 14, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri to the late Armond Luther and Shirley (Cramer) Smith.

We were frankly shocked when Sandy said she did not intend to write her own obituary. Sandy had a plan for everything, including her own funeral. It's all in the binder – the binder she had been telling us about for two years as she battled against cancer. She lost the battle, but she intended to win the war… with that binder. And all that is left for us to do is write the obituary. It was never any use arguing with her; she was not going to change her mind anyway. And so, here we are having the hardest time knowing how to start. How do you balance the snark she knew her precious, darling, beautiful, and obedient children would add to this with the love, strength, and tenacity that Sandy exhibited?

It's hard to pick just a few words to describe Sandy. She spent her retirement days with her Sorority sisters or playing mahjong with friends. She was a devout Christian and longtime member of St. Stephens Episcopal Church where she sang in the choir and served on the altar guild. She was a perfectionist with a capital "P" and one of the hardest workers you could meet. She had to be – if you weren't going to do it her way, she was going to do it herself. She was a giver. She wanted none of the attention but all of the gratitude! She would volunteer for every organization her children were involved in as kids: scouts, Job's Daughters, ROTC, swim team, youth group, you name it and she was there. But the list doesn't end with that. At various points in time she was an entrepreneur, crafter, party planner, haunted hayride specialist, interior decorator, general contractor, world traveler, and gardener. How can such a full life be encapsulated in so few words? It can't. So here's a few more. She was a church senior warden, water skier, food/tv/film/fashion critic (aren't we all?), Retreat Singer, Pevely dairy tourer, IT expert, substitute teacher, scout leader, as well as a beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, and grandmother.

She would drive across six states to visit her kids and family, or three, or two, depending on where they lived. She saw every play that her daughter was in before COVID even though she had to drive six hours away to do it each time. And, if you were lucky enough to be her child nearby, she would have Burl deliver piles of things from your childhood closet to your back patio without you knowing it. When Sandy passed away it was with dignity and a plan for her future in the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not mourn for her, because she was not afraid— rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven. They say that you only truly die after your name is spoken for the last time. With the stories she left behind, Sandy will live forever.

She is survived by her loving husband of forty-four years, Burl; son, Mitch and his wife Almudena; daughters, Katie and husband Alan, and Carly and husband Miles; six grandsons that she was so proud of, Íñigo, Álvaro, Eneas, Malcolm, Ellis, and Acton; loving sisters, Sheri and Donna; and countless nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 26, 2023 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, Arkansas.