Marie-Helene "Bebette" Smith

Marie-Helene “Bebette” C Smith, 76, of Evans, Georgia, entered eternal rest on Monday, May 18, 2026 surrounded by loved ones.

Bebette was born in Charleroi, Belgium to Maurice C. VandenBrugge and Raymonde A. VandenBrugge in 1949. She went to school to become an elementary school teacher at Victor Mirguet School in Mons, Belgium. She married Lawrence “Larry” Smith on April 29, 1972, in Erquelinnes, Belgium. They had two daughters: Melody, in 1975, and Charlette, in 1982.

Bebette taught second grade for 18 years at Immaculate Conception School and was loved by many. Afterwards she launched herself into fitness, teaching aerobics at several local gyms and then dedicated her time to the older generations as an activities coordinator at two different assisted living communities- Savannah Lakes Village and Cumberland Village in Aiken.

In 2005, she got a “wild hair” and decided she wanted to make chocolate. She returned to her home country of Belgium to learn the art of chocolate making and opened the doors of La Bonbonniere that June. Since then, she has dedicated her life to making others’ lives a little bit “sweeter” with her delicious, authentic Belgian chocolates.

Bebette loved traveling and connecting with people from all over the world but specifically loved meeting and befriending other francophones in the area. She belonged to l’Alliance Francaise for many years. She was very generous and supported several charities such as Golden Harvest Food Bank and more recently, the CSRA Gynecological Cancer Support Group.

Bebette is preceded in death by her brother, Jean-Charles VandenBrugge, her father, Maurice VandenBrugge, her mother, Raymonde VandenBrugge, and her daughter, Charlette Smith.

Bebette is survived by her husband of 54 years, Larry Smith, her daughter, Melody Roebuck (Trevor), and their three sons who meant the world to her: Forrest, Oliver, and Simon Roebuck. She also leaves behind many other family members and friends in other parts of the US, Belgium, and France.

The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Barbara Tabor, her chocolate-making protégé, friend, manager, and support during Bebette’s battle with cancer, as well as her other employees and friends at La Bonbonniere. We would also like to give a huge thank you to all of the wonderful customers (who have become friends) of the chocolate shop. She loved you all.

We also would like to thank all of the many nurses, physicians assistants, doctors, and staff at both The Georgia Cancer Center as well as Wellstar Hospital. Specifically, we thank Dr. Ghamande, Dr. Johnson, and Katie Dorr for the love, compassion, and care they showed Bebette during her battle.

A Memorial service will be held at 11:00 with visitation at 10:00 on Tuesday, May 26th, at Redeemer Church at 2540 William Few Parkway in Evans, John Fender officiating. Directly after the service, the family will gather privately. Later on, Bebette will be brought back to Belgium to be buried with her brother, parents, and daughter.

Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Platt’s Funeral Home, 337 North Belair Road, Evans, Georgia 30809. Please take a moment to share your condolences by signing the online guestbook at plattsfuneralhome.com.