Rebecca "Becky" Ellen (Moore) Smith passed peacefully at home on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 2:25 pm from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. She was born in Cape Girardeau, MO on August 8, 1958, daughter of Garnett "Butch" Moore and Melva "Joyce" Moore. At the age of two her parents moved her to Delta, MO where she graduated as Salutatorian of her high school class in 1976. Becky graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree. She continued her education while working and graduated with a Master's degree in Special Education in 1989. Becky taught for thirty years. She loved teaching, her students, her fellow teachers, and her administrators. Becky taught at Monroe County United Ministries Pre-School (Bloomington, IN) for two years, Poplar Bluff R-I (Poplar Bluff, MO) for one year, Twin Rivers R-X (Fisk, MO) for two years, Kirksville R-III (Kirksville, MO) two years, Mary Immaculate School (Kirksville, MO) for one year, Smith Elementary (Martinsville, IN) for one year, and Schuyler County R-I (Queen City, MO) twenty-one years where she spent the last nineteen years as their Elementary Music Teacher and Middle-School Football Cheer Coach. Becky was a certified Master Gardner and loved being outdoors working in her flower gardens. She was a cheerleader in high school loved coaching cheerleaders. In late winter and spring she spent hours after school working with her elementary students preparing musicals. Becky also loved cross stitching, solving logic problems, playing women's fast-pitch softball, and fishing. On August 14, 1982 she was united in marriage to Randall A. Smith who survives. She was preceded in death by her father, Garnett "Butch" Moore. Becky is also survived by her mother, Melva Joyce Moore; brothers, Stanley, Walter, and Roger Moore; and nephews Daniel and Zachary Moore; Justin, Timothy, Trevor and Levi Smith; nieces Jennifer, Morgan, and Katie Smith. Visitation will be Sunday, September 22, from 4 to 7 at Faith Lutheran Church in Kirksville, MO. A funeral service will be held at 7:00 pm with Rev. David Lukefahr officiating. Visitation will be Monday, September 23, from 4 pm - 8 pm at Amick-Burnett Funeral Home in Chaffee, MO. A prayer service will be held at 7pm at the chapel led by Rev. Eric Hodge. The funeral will be Tuesday, September 24, at 10:00 am at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, MO with Jim Hicks officiating. Burial will be in Fairmont Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy may be shown through contributions to the ALS Association for research (http://www.alsa.org/donate/) and/or Crown Hospice (2858 Professional Court, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701. 573.335.4800).
