Joan Marie “Mickey” Dire, née Smith, surrounded by family, passed away quietly on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, after a short convalescence in Los Angeles, CA.

 

Mickey was born in Houston, TX on August 24, 1940, to parents Arnold and Earnesteen Smith. She was a graduate of Odessa High School. She had a long career in office management, where she enjoyed planning and organizing corporate functions and events. She retired in 2012, moving from Richardson, TX to Winnetka, CA in 2016 to live with her daughter. She was a devoted grandmother to her five grandchildren, often taking them to Disneyland, the Texas State Fair and the California beaches. She enjoyed sleepovers with her grandchildren, travelling, entertaining, cooking, reading and listening to “books-on-tape”. She loved pets and was rarely without a pet dog or cat. She was a proud Texan and loved Whataburger and her Dallas Cowboys!

 

She was preceded in death by both her parents; her younger brother, Chuck Smith; her lifelong friend, Mary Ann Hunter; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Mickey is survived by her son, Larry Valdez and his wife, Christine of Lubbock, TX; daughter, Dina Brown Schexnaydre and her husband, James of Winnetka, CA; her sister, Donna Smith and husband Mark Jordan of Odessa, TX; her grandchildren, Emily Valdez Allen and husband Johnathan of Sterling, VA, Claire Valdez of Queens, NY, Alex Valdez of Lubbock, TX, Simone Schexnaydre of Los Angeles, CA and Harper Schexnaydre of Winnetka, CA; her nieces Hannah Jordan (and daughter Ava) of Austin, TX, and Molly Kruse and husband Travis (and son Arlo) of Dallas, TX; and her brother’s family, his widow Denise, and children Andrew and Sarah. She is also survived by Mary Ann’s son, David Hunter of Fort Worth, who she considered her second son.

 

Mickey will be interred with her parents at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Odessa, TX in a private service for friends and family at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family would like to recommend a contribution to your local animal shelter. Mom would have loved that!