Denise Stinson Smith

Denise Stinson Smith, 72, died peacefully on Monday, August 18, 2025 at her home, Ravenswood Farm, in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Born May 15, 1953, in Nashville, Tennessee, to the late Jean Felts Stinson and Homer Carlton Stinson, Denise grew up in West Nashville, the middle of five children and the only daughter.

Denise graduated from Hillwood High School in 1971, where she was president of the National Honor Society and voted “Most Intellectual.” She later attended the University of Tennessee at Nashville, becoming a registered nurse and working in the emergency room at Baptist Hospital. There she first met the man she would marry, Stephen Buford Smith, after her brother Butch was struck by a line drive on the baseball diamond and Steve rushed him in. She married Steveon March 10, 1979 and devoted herself full-time to raising theirtwo sons.

Like so many Stinsons and Smiths, Denise loved sports all her life – only her mother spent more time in the bleachers second-guessing umpires and referees. She played tennis with dear friends at Richland and Belle Meade Country Clubs, competing well into her 60s. And she became a fervent fan of Middle Tennessee State University athletics and had a special and personal relationship with the Lady Raiders. Just a few weeks ago, the new Student-Athlete Performance Center at MTSU was named in honor of Denise and her husband, a recognition that would have slightly embarrassed and absolutely delighted her.

Denise had an inspirational curiosity. An avid reader – living up to her “Most Intellectual” superlative – she shared books, questions, and wonder with the people around her. With Steve, her boys, and her friends, she traveled the world from Stuttgart, Arkansas, to the pyramids of Giza; from Bending Lake, Ontario, to the Galápagos. Trips to New York to see Broadway shows with her sons during their Princeton years were among her happiest rituals, and she kept a soft spot for science fiction, having grown up on Star Trek.

Above all, Denise practiced a quiet, instinctive selflessness. She never needed the spotlight and spent decades caring for her mother, her brothers, her sons, and her husband – she was an anchor at the center of their lives. She was a member of Trinity Methodist Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

Denise is survived by her husband of 46 years, Stephen Buford Smith; two sons, Stephen Buford Smith Jr. and Matthew Carlton Smith; and three grandchildren: Stephen Buford Smith III and Henry Blackwood Smith (sons of Stephen Jr. and his wife,Allison) and Vivian Claire Smith (daughter of Matt and his wife,Jamie).

She is also survived by three of her brothers – Butch Stinson (Angela), Phil Stinson (Lisa), and Kevin Stinson (Mimi); by her brother-in-law Reese Smith III (Emily); by her sister-in-law, Frances Stinson; and by so many other loving family members. She was predeceased by her oldest brother, Terry Stinson, and by her brother-in-law, Mark Smith.

The family extends special thanks to sister-in-law Lisa Stinson, Nataliya Bulay, Olga Bulay, and Elite Caregiving Services, whose steady, loving care allowed Denise to remain at home, surrounded by family.

Pallbearers will be her sons, Stephen Buford Smith Jr. and Matthew Carlton Smith; her brothers, Butch Stinson, Phil Stinson, and Kevin Stinson; Ravenswood Farm manager and friend Marty Warren; and her nephews, Reese Smith IV and Tony George. Honorary pallbearers are her tennis friends and teammates; the baseball mothers who traveled with her across the state and country to support their sons on the ball field; as well as the current and former Lady Raiders of the Middle Tennessee State University women’s basketball program.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at First Presbyterian Church, 4815 Franklin Pike, Nashville, Tennessee, with burial to follow at the family farm. Visitation will be Friday, September 5, 2025, from 4 to 6p.m. at the church and for one hour prior to the memorial service. Arrangements by Williamson Memorial Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Denise Smith Memorial Scholarship in Nursing at MTSU, which will helpstudents with financial need, particularly those contributing to the school in athletics. Gifts can be sent online at igfn.us/form/9eVHcA or by check payable to ‘MTSU Foundation - Denise Smith Memorial Scholarship’, delivered to Wood-Stegall Center, P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, TN 37132.