Vanessa Martina (Bougere) Smith

Sunrise             ~               Sunset

March 29, 1949   ~  March  31, 2026

Vanessa Martina Smith was born on March 25, 1949 to Edward and Loretta Bougere in Bertrand Louisiana. Vanessa was the fourth of seven children. Vanessa married Marvin M Smith on December 19 1970 in Los Angeles Ca.  Together Vanessa and Marvin had three children, Marvin M Smith II, Dereck R. Smith and, Anita R.M. Smith. Vanessa and Marvin were married for 38 years until the passing of her husband on January 28, 2007. Vanessa was very dedicated to her work as a childcare provider. She worked at the Youth Center for many years then moved over to the Child Development Center on Ft. Huachuca military base.  Vanessa was such a kind soul, and touched everyone’s lives in a special way.  Her smile would light up any room she stepped foot into.  One of Vanessa’s favorite pass times was baking and cooking. She would always bake cookies for the holidays and ship them out for all her family. She is most famous for her Banana pudding and Beauty dessert.  Vanessa loved to talk on the phone for hours to all her friends and family.  She always made sure to send a good morning message to everyone, and card for holidays and birthdays.  Vanessa is survived by her daughter Anita R Smith, granddaughter Kyira Salsedo, great grandsons Ta’Kari Ciuffoli, Theo Ciuffoli, Seven Salsedo, Shia Salsedo, Kylian Salsedo, sisters DeLanda Bougere, Frenzella Lewis, Shirley Chatter, and Bernadine Patterson, and brother Edward Bougere, and a host of nieces and nephews. Also her sisters by Christ Julia Scott, Sandy Alverez, and Chiketta.  Vanessa was not just a mother to her own children she was everyone’s mom and grandma Meme too.  When you look up the word strong in the dictionary there should be a picture of Vanessa next to the definition, because she was a strong woman.  Vanessa is a beautiful soul and will be truly missed. 

My sister Vanessa, fell asleep in death on March 31,2026 six days after her date of birth.  She is gone but certainly not forgotten. She was a strong young woman who knew how to fight, and she fought a very long time, but she finally tired out. I look forward to seeing her again along with all my other loved ones that proceeded before her. We are told at Psalms 37:11 that there will be a resurrection, when all will come out, and will be welcomed to a new world where there will be no more sickness, death will be no more and you can read Revelation 21:3,4.  I myself as  a Jehovah witness look forward to this promise.  As John 3:16 it tells us Jesus gave his life so that we may have a chance of everlasting life.  When you have the time I encourage you to read John 3:16 that life is not promised here and now but in the future.  In Jehovah’s new world that I spoke of in Revelation 21:3,4

I love you sis until we meet again.

I believe God places people in our lives and hearts, for a reason. Auntie Van, I certainly feel you were put in mine.  I will always cherish every long phone call conversation, text message, laughs and good deeds. You were not only my Auntie, but a second Mom to me.  We talked about all kinds of things, and I could trust you. You may have seemed tough or feisty to some, but  to me, you just did things the "Old School" way.  You truly kept it real, with your values, and you wanted all of us to remain close, just like your mother would've wanted.  I admire your strength, tenacity, nurturing spirit, humor and love. 

Thank you sooo much, for being the person that you were to me and to everyone.  I especially thank you for loving my son Kiiren and tag-teaming with my Mom, to help me raise him, when I was a young mother.  To all the lives you touched,  you were such a warm light. I will always love you for that.  I don't want to say goodbye, so I won't.  I will say "Farewell, until we see each other again, in a better place".. Just know, until then, I will be missing you, and I love you.

Losing my Meme has given me time to reflect on our relationship—both the closeness we once had and the distance that came later. Even though we weren’t as connected in recent years, she was an important part of my life growing up, and those early memories will always stay with me. My fondest memories with my Meme was always in the kitchen, my favorite meal to cook with her had to be gumbo. she made the best gumbo! I didn’t know it then that would be some of the most important life lessons that I would take with me into adulthood. Patiently showing me each step and allowing me to not only try on my own but to also mess up is something I choose to emulate in my own motherhood; patients. Because of her, I move through life with a little more care, a little more patience, and a deeper appreciation for the small moments that matter most. Those lessons didn’t end in the kitchen—they became part of how I live, how I love, and how I raise my own family today.

Recipe of Love

A pinch of patience, gently shown,

A guiding hand until I’d grown,
Lessons stirred in quiet ways,
That linger with me through my days.

A dash of warmth, a steady heart,
The kind of care that sets the start,
Simple moments, side by side,
With love that didn’t need to hide.

From kitchen light to who I am,
Each memory part of a bigger plan,
Though time has passed and paths may part,
Her recipe lives within my heart.

Though our lives took different paths over time, I will always hold onto what she gave me in the beginning. In that way, a part of her will always stay with me.

Kyira Salsedo (granddaughter)

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Vanessa Martina (Bougere) Smith, please visit our floral store.