Izelle Denson Smith

Izelle Smith Denson Smith, 81, of Baton Rouge, passed away on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Born in Fort Payne, Alabama on December 27, 1938, to Horton and Annie Smith, she was the third of five siblings and a 1956 graduate of DeKalb County High School. Izelle was a fingerprint analyst for the FBI at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., before moving to Baton Rouge in 1967.

She worked for The B.R. Advocate/State Times newspaper and retired in 1995 after 28 years of service. Izelle loved spending time with her children and grandchildren and traveling with her sisters; she made the best homemade strawberry preserves, was a life-long avid reader and enjoyed woodworking and selling her wares at local craft shows.

Izelle is survived by three children: Susan Vilas (James), Bobby Denson (Becky), and Renee Piper (JP); two step-children: Donna Lee (Buddy), and Chandra Alford (Greg); eleven grandchildren: Ashley Anderson (Ty), Miguel Vilas, Samantha and Brad Denson, Hayden and Riley Piper, Shane and Todd Firmin, and Tyler, Peyton and Taylor Alford; three great-grandchildren: Addie, Hayes and Caroline Anderson; three siblings: Lowell Smith (Virginia); Katherine Bone and Peggy Paddock (Norman). She was preceded in death by her husband of 36 years, Jerry E. Smith, parents, Horton and Annie Smith, sister, Betty Wilke, and the father of her three children, Bradford Wood Denson.

A heartfelt thank you to the staff at St. Joseph’s Carpenter House for their compassionate care.

Due to COVID19 concerns, there will be no public visitation or funeral service; the family will hold a private ceremony to celebrate her life and honor the legacy she left. Please help us celebrate Izelle’s life by making a memorial donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Family and friends are invited to leave a personal note for the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.