Carol Ann Smith

Carol was the type of person you only come across once in your life. She loved deeply and accepted everyone. Her personality expressed joyful happiness whenever she was near you. She had so much tenacity and strength. She was overwhelmingly a humble, kind woman, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and wife. 

Carol Ann Smith was born June 1945, in Bakersfield, California. She was the first born to Maria Abarquez and Bernardo Rabena Sr., with her only brother, second born, Bernardo Rabena. 

Carol spent most of her career at Blue Cross. During her time there she built strong lifelong relationships. This is also where she met Brent Smith, the love of her life. Brent recalls how they first met through her job as a data control distributing clerk. She had to write the programmers name on computer printouts of their work and disperse those to each individual. She repeatedly scribed 'Brat Smith,' whenever she brought copies of Brent’s work to him. He recalls being agitated about the inference, having been tagged by his two older brothers in their youth. But when Carol apologized to him and explained her misunderstanding and inability to spell or properly pronounce my first name, all was forgiven, and two days later, the rest is history! 

Carol was mother to Richard (Shanie), Janet (Joey), Tonya (Alexis), Christopher, Priscilla (Paul), Demetrius, and Mario. She was a grandmother and Great Grandmother to many. She was definitely proud of each and every one.

Carol was a huge fan of Betty Boop. I’m not sure if it was her carefree spirit, dancing, or they looked alike. Her family and friends knew she was drawn to everything Betty Boop. She and Brent loved to play their own version of Monopoly together. If called while they were playing, you’d be rewarded with Brent in the background, telling you how many times Big Cheese had been to jail. She also enjoyed watching movies. Once Demetrius sent her and Brent a huge cache of movies. It was one of those moments she was so surprised and completely overjoyed. 

Today and each day to come, our memories are what we are left with of Carol. Each one is like your all-time favorite movie. You know the one. The one you keep watching and it never gets old.  That’s what each of our memories are now.

How about those moments in time? Those moments you bucket into a memory or something tangible. The moment you see an envelope with her handwriting. Is it close to your birthday? Christmas or anniversary. It’s a card.  Maybe it’s none of these. Maybe, just maybe for no other reason than to say how much she loved you. But wait! Don’t have a calendar, no problem, she has one for you.  How about the moment when she would call and sing happy birthday to you, knowing she couldn’t hold a note. I can hear it now. Each memory or those moments we all loved so much, we get to keep and cherish about the woman we love.

Carol’s 77 years came with bumps, bruises, and heartache. It also came with a medical condition that ravaged her body. Even when she thought she wouldn’t survive, she persevered. None of that broke her spirit or love of life. No matter how she was feeling, she always made sure to say she loved you. When you would see her, you were always greeted with a big smile. So when you feel down, or don’t have the strength to adult.  Just remember everything she went through during her bodily journey and never give in or give up on yourself, because she didn’t.

Carol moves on to her next journey, she will be reunited with those that preceded her in death. Her grandparents, father Bernardo, mother Maria, and daughter Janet.

She never like to say goodbye, so let us not say goodbye. Let’s say Love, Love, Love and keep her memory alive.