Jeanette Smith Hays

Jeanette Smith Hays left this world and met her Savior face to face on October 3, 2026 at her home with her family. Jeanette was born March 23, 1939, in Pope, MS to E.I.”Bub” and Mary Elizabeth “Maye” Lipe Smith. She was married to her husband, David on August 17, 1962, and began growing their family of three children. Jeanette is survived by her husband, David of Sardis, MS; her sons: Greg Hays of Sardis, John Mark Hays of Memphis; her son-in-law, Perrin Rowsey of Bartlett, TN; granddaughters: Emily Rowsey of Memphis; Rebecca (Seth) Massey of Germantown, TN; Mary Paige Rowsey of Los Angeles, CA; her sisters: Beth Freeman, of Jackson, TN and Jane Hatvany, of Nashville, TN; sister- in- law Mary Lipscomb (Bobby) of Como, MS; and many nieces and nephews and cousins that she loved dearly. Jeanette is recently pre-deceased by her cherished daughter, Catherine Rowsey of Memphis.

Kind, humble, loving, compassionate - just a few descriptive words that were part of who Jeanette was. Three things, however, stand out in her life: her personal faith, her love for family, her servant heart. Jeanette’s deep beliefs and Christian faith began at an early age as a child in Batesville, MS, and they continued to grow and mature through the years. From worshiping with her husband and family, to teaching her own children about the LORD, to teaching others’ children and helping them grow in faith, Jeanette was a faithful example to them all of faithful devotion. For many years, Jeanette was a faithful member of a ladies’ Bible study group where, she was always encouraging as she studied and shared and prayed with them. A faithful member of Como Church of Christ, she was always there to worship together, to meet the needs of others with compassion, to fellowship together with great food. Her church family will miss her dearly.

Jeanette’s love for her family was second only to her love of God. Her husband of 64 years, David, was so woven into her own self that it was difficult to say one name without the other. It was always Jeanette and David or David and Jeanette....as one. Their goal, together, was to raise their children in a loving, Christian home, while also loving and being there for their extended families. She spoke of her children with pride - pride in their work, pride in their accomplishments, but most of all pride in their faith. Her children have always been there for her as she was for them. Her grandchildren have been especially dear to her. She loved spending time with them, talking with them, talking about them and bragging on them. And she loved her son-in-law, Perrin Rowsey who loved her daughter, Catherine, and their children fiercely, caring for her in her last days on earth. Jeanette’s extended family - her sisters and David’s sisters - have been a constant source of encouragement and unconditional love.

Jeanette had a servant heart. She was the first to cook for others, pray for others, hurt for others, grieve with others, encourage others, visit the sick, be there to meet needs of others while meeting the needs of her own family. She never assumed that she did not have a task to complete; she was grateful for the blessings in her life and wanted to share those blessings with others. Jeanette graduated from Batesville High School in 1957, and completed her degree in Speech Therapy at the University of Mississippi in 1961. She was a teacher in Whitehaven, TN, and Sardis, MS, before she had children but then put career aside to raise her children and be there to assist her husband.       

Her kind, humble, loving, compassionate ways, her soft chuckle and sense of humor along with her faith, her love of family, and her desire to serve others make her one that will be sorely missed. Our sadness is her joy. Sadness is for those left behind, but she believed the words of the song “What a Glorious Day That Will Be” when her Savior she will see and hear Him say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to: Como Church of Christ, PO Box 608, Como, MS 38619 or to West Cancer Foundation, PO Box 382638, Germantown, TN 38183

The family of Jeanette invites everyone to celebrate her life on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. at the Senatobia Church of Christ, 4214 Hwy 51 South, Senatobia, MS 38668. The family will begin receiving friends at 10:00 a.m. prior to the service

A private burial will take place at Rosehill Cemetery in Sardis, Mississippi.