Winona "Nona" Smith

Winona “Nona” Smith, born Winona Blanton on August 12, 1954, in Hahira, Georgia, passed away on September 15, 2026, at Tift Regional Medical Center.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at Grace and Mercy Church, 4001 Tift Avenue N, Tifton, Ga. 31794 with Rev. Rich Newton and Mr. Phil Beach officiating. Interment will follow at Tift Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 12:00 to 1:30 P.M. at the church before the service.

Mike Thompson, Jonathan Smith, James Smith, Taylor Smith, Toby Passmore, Ronnie Wheeler, Sr., and Michael Norman will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be nieces and nephews but they will sit with the family for the service.

Nona will be remembered as a devoted educator whose life was marked by compassion, faith, and deep care for others. She served as a Special Education teacher for twenty-nine years and was known as a dedicated teacher who always put her students first. Even after retirement, she continued to keep up with the students whose lives she had touched. Her work left a lasting impression, and she was considered by many as one of the best teachers in Tift County.

Education was an important part of her life and calling. She graduated from Central High School in Carrollton, earned an associate degree from Young Harris College, a bachelor’s degree from West Georgia College, and a master’s degree from VSU. She carried that learning into a career of meaningful service and steadfast commitment to her special ed students and community.

Outside the classroom, Nona enjoyed a rich and creative life. She loved photography and calligraphy, and she enjoyed going to movies at the theater. She also shared her gifts on the stage, performing in Steel Magnolias at the Tift Theatre, where she played Ouiser Boudreaux (pronounced Weezer). She had a special fondness for collecting frog figurines. It reminded her of acronym (fully rely on God). Her faith was central to her life, and she was a member of Grace and Mercy Church, where she was very active until she became sick.

Above all, Nona treasured her family and the people closest to her. She is survived by her husband, Daniel Brian Smith. She also leaves her children, Caleb Blanton Smith (Katharine), Noah Brian Smith (Morgan), and Daniel Joshua Smith (Michaela). Her love extended to her one and only grandchild, Avery Smith. She is also survived by her brother, Ernie Blanton, and his wife, April, of Carrollton, Georgia, as well as her special friend, Carol Bell. Those who knew Nona knew the warmth she brought to relationships and the steady love she gave to her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Lamar Blanton; her mother, Kitty Murray Blanton; and her sister, Debbie Blanton.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Tift Area, PO Box 747, Tifton, Ga. 31793 or Abide Home Care, 1914 Old Ocilla Rd, Tifton, Ga. 31794.

Winona “Nona” Smith will be remembered with love for her faithful heart, her generous spirit, her dedication to children, and the joy she found in family, church, and the simple things she loved. Her life was a blessing, and her memory will remain precious to all who knew her.

Albritton Funeral Directors is in charge of arrangements.