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HELEN SMITH Obituary
HELEN VIRGINIA SMITH, 85, of Fort Wayne, passed away on Thursday, May 13, 2010, at Lutheran Hospital. She was born on Nov 28, 1924, in Chicago, Ill., dau-ghter of the late Fred and Elizabeth (Jordan) Samson. Her family moved to Kalamazoo, Mich. when she was four years old. That is where she met her future husband, Robert E. Smith. They wed on Jan. 16, 1944, and were married for 31 years; he preceded her in death in 1975. Survivors include her four children, Robert (Nancy) Smith of Hawthorne, Calif., Toni (Anthony) Mante, Rick (Patricia) Smith and Sheree Powers, all of Fort Wayne, nine grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and her siblings, Raymond Samson and Patricia Williams of Kalamazoo, Mich. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Richard L. Powers, Jr., on Feb 14, 2010. Service is 5 p.m. Saturday, May 22, 2010, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, 6000 Abbott Street, Fort Wayne, with visitation 1/2 hour prior to service. Arrangements by C. M. Sloan & Sons Funeral Home, 1327 N. Wells Street. Online condolences may be sent to sloanandsonsfuneralhome.comTo plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for HELEN SMITH
toni mante
May 30, 2010
The phone rings but I don't see your name on the Caller ID anymore. I pick it up and wish I could hear you say, "hi kid, whatcha doin?", like you would do so many times.
How I'm going to miss talking with you about the Colts when football season comes around. You liked to watch the games from your apartment, and every time the Colts would score a touchdown, the phone would ring. We didn't have to look at Caller ID to know who was calling. An excited voice on the other end of the line would say, "did you just see that?!!!"
I'm going to miss those calls, Mom, and so much more, because as a mother, I had the best. I love you, Toni
Maurtice Lyles
May 21, 2010
Grandma Smith....while not bound by blood, she was more than the word grandma implies. As a young man there are a few people that contributed to making me who I am today and she was one of them (along with Richard Powers), it almost feels as though I've lost two limbs...I will still be able to get around but it will be a struggle.
Your Grandson
Natalia Bethea
May 21, 2010
Sis. Smith will be sorely missed. Such a faithful, positive person who truly loved Jehovah, her family, and people. I enjoyed the "talks" we had. So glad I took the time to get to know her.
Sharee, Desaree and family, you are all in my prayers.
Jessica Sefton
May 20, 2010
I would see Helen when she would sometimes come into the store I worked at as a teen. She always had a big smile and a kind word. I would admire her new jewelry and we would talk. One day I mentioned that I noticed her last couple of pieces had been green. She told me honey, Jehovah saw fit to cover the whole earth with green, its my favorite color. To this day I still think of her with a smile when I see a big green ring.
May 19, 2010
Spending alot of my childhood on Ellen Ave. I have way too many memories to print here. In fact I don't know where to begin. What comes to mind first is how Aunt Helen painted eveything, floors,countertops, just everything! Nothing looked the same from yeaar to year. There's also the weekends we went "alley-rattin'". What a hoot, we had soo much fun. Aunt Helen was a happy person, almost always smiling. And she made the best french apple pie in the world. Not even Paula Deen could match that skill!She will be missed but the memories are awesome. They will never go away.Lots of love to all my cousins. Cathie Besamcon Hannie
May 19, 2010
May 19,2010
I will miss her calling me "kid". She was so much fun to be with. I remember last year after the memorial going to her apartment and we all sat around her while she read all her favorite little sayings to us out of a book she had compiled. She had us all laughing! Oh how she loved Jehovah and would talk about him to every one she met. One thing I know for sure, she is in his memory, he never forgets his righteous ones. Soon Jesus will fullfill his his role as "the resurrection and the life." Imagine the reunion of beloved friends and relatives that have been separated by death, all embracing one another. All mankind will praise Jehovah for his restorative power! Job 14:15 Job was inspired to say that Jehovah actually yearns to bring back the dead. How can we not be drawn to a God who is so eager to use his restorative power in such a loving way? We will see you soon Helen~~Love, Lisa Smith
Caroline Dewey
May 19, 2010
My heart goes out to the family, and to the many friends whose lives she touched over her years of living. God bless you.
A testimony of how she lived her life is how much she was loved by all. Helen, we will miss you greatly.
-From Allen & Caroline Dewey, and Margaret Freiburger
Cindy Weigold
May 18, 2010
Knowing Shannon for so many years, I am quite aware of how much his Grandma Helen meant to him. She was a constant and unfailing source of love for him and his entire family. She was nurturing, devoted and as I remember her SO well...VERY funny and always delightful to be around.In fact, some of my best one-liners and sayings were borrowed right from her!
I just want to say to Shannon, you are so lucky and blessed to have had Helen as your grandmother.I lost one grandma when I was 18 and never got the chance to even meet my other grandma who passed away before I was born. Helen was truly a gift and as long as you cherish her and hold her in your heart, she will never die.
Steven J. Vasquez
May 18, 2010
As a longtime friend of both Shannon and Angelo as well as their family I want to extend the most heartfelt and loving of blessings and condolences to you all at this time. Shannon's like a brother to me and the thing of it is he is my brother in a lot of respects. To me, family isn't bound by blood alone. Your family's loss makes me think of the loss of my Dad in Sept. of '08 and back to my now deceased grandparents as well as all the other dearly departed. I can think of all the wonderful memories I'll have always and forever. I can keep them close to my heart and soul with unabashed love.
That's what I want to express here...hold onto those moments in your memory, your heart, your very soul. They'll always be there and in that respect she'll always be with you. You are all the best parts of her and as long as you all live, so to does she. Just like my Dad...he lives on through the love he shared with my Mom and through all of us, his children and grandchildren.
The same applies to you all and Helen. You're very existence conveys her immortality. I write this on behalf of myself as well as my entire family. Be blessed always.
Shannon Mante
May 18, 2010
One of my earliest memories goes like this: it's late morning. I'm probably three or four years old, so it's about 1978. Nobody's at home on Ellen Avenue except grandma and me, probably because everyone else is at work. I'm lying across her lap, looking up at her face while she tickles my arm with her perfect nails and hums some song softly, absently, as I drifted to sleep.
Grandma was there from the beginning, feeding me, washing me, putting me to bed, singing me to sleep. And I'm not the only one. She took care of me just as she's selflessly taken care of so many others--always without complaint or pretense, always with a smile and a joke. I simply cannot fathom a world without her. I feel like a villager who has lived in the benevolent shadow of a mountain since the day he was born, only to find, as he steps outside one morning, that the mountain has disappeared. After a while looks around and realizes that the whole village is out, pointing in silent wonder at the empty space the mountain once filled. They stand there, just staring, for a long, long time.
Desaree Lyles
May 17, 2010
Grandma was the hub of our family, our nucleus in a sense, through her she keept us in touch and close with our family. Being with her was no chore, spending time with her was a treasure....If I could just have one more treasure to cherish grandma! Life won't be the same without you....but believe u me I will do what I need to do to see you again and until then I will carry those memorable treasures deep within my heart....until I see you again...
Shelby McKinney
May 17, 2010
"Mrs. Smith...I'll never forget how you taught me to dance. We were in your apartment and put on the Righteous Brothers and started cuttin-a-rug! I thought I was a dancer until you showed me some real moves. I thank God for the opportunity to have played a small role in your life. You were a blessing and an inspiration. Say 'hello' to my granny Lucille Davis. She'll be one of the angels. R.I.P.
Becky Vaughn
May 17, 2010
Helen will be greatly missed; she was a faithful, loving and compassionate person. She loved her cowboy and Indian shows and had lots of memorable saying. She loved to sing and dance. Our family had many fun times together. I look forward to welcoming her back in the ressurection as well as my family members. The "3 Amigas" will be reunited again. Helen, Helen V and Elenore Brown.
Anne Kerns
May 17, 2010
Helen was one great lady. She was very kind to all. She was one of my favorite residents here at the Edsall House Apts. God Bless Helen. I will miss you dearly. Your Maintenance Tech. Anne Kerns.
Angelo Mante
May 16, 2010
When I moved my family to Atlanta last July, I never could have fathomed how much turmoil my family would go through during my first year away. It still hasn't hit me, fully, just how much I am going to miss grandma. Part of me just knows that she'll be right in her apartment, waiting - waiting to hold my little girl, waiting to teach my wife new dances, waiting to tell stories from her childhood, waiting to talk about God and about life. But I must accept that the Edsall House is no longer grandma's home. That does not mean, however, that she is not waiting. I truly believe that we will see each other again. And when we do, she will be riding that horse which she always talked about! We love you, grandma!
Your grandson,
Patricia Williams
May 16, 2010
My sister was one of a kind. She could be so funny and was a joy to be with.When I was a little girl she was always there for me with good advice. I will miss her for ever..Love you Helen and I hope to see you again!
May 16, 2010
Helen was a very strong woman! She was also very giving. As a wedding gift she got me a bracelet w/ a matching ring ( we all know how she LOVED her jewelry ) :) She was so loved by her family and friends and we all look forward to seeing her again ~ Art n Ebony
May 16, 2010
Helen was a STRONG woman!!! She always had a interesting story to tell you and gave illustrations that really made you think. She was also a VERY giving person, as a wedding gift she got me a ring and matching bracelet that I still have and cherish. She was so very loved by her family and friends and we all look forward to seeing her again ~ Art n Ebony
May 16, 2010
Helen was my mother-in law with an emphasis on mother. She was one of the sweetest to ever to walk the earth. I will miss her in so many ways. She was so much fun to be around and was loved by many. Tony Mante
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