Dr. Barbara Kupka-Smith

Dr. Barbara Jean Kupka-Smith, 66, of Camilla, GA, died Thursday, July 17, 2025, at her residence in Camilla.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 24 at Parker-Bramlett Funeral Home with private interment to follow.

Born September 27, 1958, in Marshalltown, Iowa, Dr. Kupka-Smith was the daughter of the late Charles James Kupka and Celeste Laurene Hoover Kupka. She was raised in Tama, Iowa and graduated from South Tama County High School in 1977. Dr. Kupka-Smith received her bachelor’s degree at Loras College, her master’s degree at Iowa State and graduated from Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1987. She interned at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, OK in 1987-88 and completed her residency at Corewell Health East Beaumont in Farmington Hills, MI in 1988-89. Dr. Kupka-Smith moved to Camilla in 1990 and ran a private practice in Pelham. She was affiliated with Archbold and worked in the Emergency Room at Archbold Mitchell until 2021. In May of 2000, she moved to Phoebe Primary Care of Camilla where she worked until her retirement in May of 2025, after 25 years of service. She was an avid Georgia Bulldog fan and enjoyed supporting her children through football, dance and tennis. She supported the arts in multiple areas such as oil paintings and playing flute, where she received first chair in college. As an outdoor lover, she frequented the beach, enjoyed the mountains, loved cats and horses and shared a love for hunting and fishing with her husband, children and family. Dr. Kupka-Smith was a fighter with a strong will and was a passionate advocate for her patients. She loved her friends and family full heartedly and deeply.

Survivors include her husband of 30 years, Gerald Ansley Smith, of Camilla; son, Connor Ethan Smith (Irene), of Cumming; daughter, Erin Joy Smith, of Camilla; four siblings, Susan Davis (Shawn), of Charles City, IA, Joseph Kupka (Rhonda), of Braselton, Thomas Kupka (Colleen), of Fountain Hills, AZ, and Carol Paige (Mark), of Mesa, AZ; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 at Parker-Bramlett Funeral Home in Camilla.

Memorials may be made to American Cancer Society (donate.cancer.org) or Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (give.choa.org).

Parker-Bramlett Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. To sign the online guest registry, visit our website at www.parkerbramlett.com.