Barbara Chaires Smith-Taylor, age 93, graduated to Heaven on June 21, 2023 at 10:05 PM. She was born on May 29, 1930, in Liberty County, FL. Her parents were the late E.B. Chaires, Sr. and Electra Stoutamire Chaires of Chaires, FL., where she grew up and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her Savior at an early age.

She graduated from Leon High School in 1948. Later that year she was married to James Clyde Smith and they were married for forty-eight years. He became an ordained Baptist minister and they were the Administrators of Tallahassee Christian and Thomasville Christian Schools for fifteen years. After that she worked as an Administrative Assistant at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, retiring in the year 1999. After retirement, she lived in Odenville, Alabama for three and a half years where she was a member of New Life Baptist Church and was very active in the Odenville Senior Center. In 2003, she married the Reverend Robert G. Taylor, retired pastor of Southside Baptist Church in Tallahassee, FL, and moved back to Tallahassee. For fifteen years, she worked alongside her husband in an active, evangelistic ministry, until he "retired" again at age 94. They were married for  18 years. She was a member of Gospel Light Baptist Church (formerly Southside Baptist Church).

She was preceded in death by her two husbands, the Reverend James C. Smith and the Reverend Robert G. Taylor of Tallahassee. She is survived by her five children. They are: Rob Smith (Karin) of Ashville, AL, Joel Smith of Rising Fawn, GA, Alisa Epperson (Tom) of Branford, FL, Tony Smith (Lisa) of Moody, AL, and Zane Smith (Tandy) of Temple, GA. She has nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; two stepchildren: Marsha Barlow (Mark) of Clearwater, FL, and Laurel Young (Jerry) of Dunedin, FL; two step-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Alice Simmons (Billy) of Tallahassee,  and one brother, Harry Chaires (Nan) of Chaires, FL. Also preceding her in death were her parents, E.B. Chaires, Sr. and Electra Soutamire Chaires, her brother, E.B. Chaires, Jr., sister-in-law, Alice Chaires, and step-son-in-law, Jerry Young.

Funeral services will be held at Gateway-Forest Lawn Funeral Home in Lake City, FL, at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023 with Pastor Irvin Clark of Gospel Light Baptist Church officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the funeral service. Graveside services and interment will be held at 1:00 P.M. CST at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in Leeds, AL on Thursday, June 29, 2023, where she will be laid to rest beside her first husband. She requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Gospel Light Baptist Church, 3415 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL, 32311 or to Lighthouse Children's Home, 7771 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32309.