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Obituary for RUTH VIRGINIA SMITH
Ruth Virginia Smith was born on January 5, 1920 as the only child of the late Mason Brooks and Julia Kent. Ruth was indeed a woman of family, a woman of community and a woman of faith.
On February 4, 1937, Ruth married the love of her life, Clarence Sylvester Smith. Together they raised their four children, Evelyn, Kingsley "Sonny", Ivalee, and Karen. They also foster parented several children. The doors to Ruth's home were always open to family, friends, and her community.
Ruth was a homemaker and a caregiver, raising her children, and some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. However, she always maintained regular work outside the home. In the 1960s she worked for the Calvert House (the old nursing home). She also worked at Ms. Lizzie's in Prince Frederick, Maryland. And in the 1970s and 1980s she worked for and retired from Springhill Lake Apartments. In addition, Ruth and her husband; then Ruth and her son, Kingsley, raised tobacco on farms in Huntingtown, Maryland. She taught her family the value of hard work and dedication.
Ruth lost her eldest daughter and her husband in 1978, and later lost her only son and her youngest daughter in the 1990s. But inspite of her trials, Ruth maintained a strong faith in the Lord and remained a much needed source of comfort and strength for her family.
Ruth lived a full, yet simple life. She didn't require all the acolades of today. She was satisfied with the love of God and her family. She was an avid reader, and spent her downtime completing crossword puzzles and reading books. She also enjoyed a few TV shows that she'd watch routinely.
At age 83, Ruth went back to work. She worked at the North Beach Senior Center preparing meals for the residents their, most of which were younger than she was. She worked there for a few years before coming back home permanently.
Ruth was a lifetime member of Patuxent United Methodist Church, and a few times attended the Church of God in Lothian where she enjoyed the preaching of Bishop George Hawkins Sr. She accepted Christ as her savior, and this was evident in the way she loved. As the scriptures declare, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
On Thursday, June 12, 2014, Ruth was called from her labors to eternal reward. She leaves to cherish her legacy her daughter Ivalee Gross (Eugene); one sister-in-law Ernestine Welch; a special cousin, Frank "Keaton" Brown; one daughter-in-law, Mertina Smith; special grandchildren, Yvette Parran (Glenn), Pamela Jones (Quentin Sr.), and Eric Merritt Sr...15 grandchildren in all; 31 great grandchildren; and 23 great-great grandchildren; four first-cousins, Ellen Brown, John Brown, Aleatha Ringgold, and Loretta Shepard-Hurst; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
