Biography: Dale Stratton Smith, age 84, of Little Rock, died peacefully February 15th, at her home with her family and dogs at her side. Dale’s husband, Darrell, died in 1998. She is survived by daughters: Debby Haines, Jan Smith, Melinda Carpenter and son-in-law Dave, Jill Sullivan and son-in-law Jerry, 14 grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Dale loved life. She lived it to the fullest. She started college at 16 where she learned to pilot a plane and parachute. During WWII, she played “Taps” for fallen soldiers and supported the war effort by selling war bonds, at times with band leaders and celebrities. She married Darrell in 1943. Darrell was a master welder who worked on high security ammunition. They moved where Darrell was needed by the government. They moved to La Porte, Indiana where Darrell worked at Kingsbury Ordnance Plant. After the war ended, they stayed in La Porte. Dale was an active member of the La Porte Little Theater where she worked both behind the curtain and in front of the audience. She was also an involved mother of four daughters. When Darrell’s mother became ill and needed 24 hour care, they moved to Little Rock to take care of her. They loved Little Rock and never returned to the cold, snowy winters of Northern Indiana. In Little Rock, Dale was active in FOCAL, Civic Ballet, PEO, U of A Auxiliary, and Salvation Army. Except for her family, nothing was more important to her than her church, St. James United Methodist Church. The family would like to say a special thank you to Dr. Jim Morse for his kind and compassionate care. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, February 22, 2008 at St. James United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Children Ministries of St. James United Methodist Church. www.ruebelfuneralhome.com