Batya Joi Smith

Memorial Donations for Batya's Children can be accessed on the link at the bottom of the memorial page: Loving Memory It is said that the names we are given help to set our course in life. The name "Batya" in the ancient Hebrew tongue of the Old Testament means "Daughter of God" and announced to the world from the moment of her birth that Batya Joi Graves Smith was a blessing from God and a blessing to her parents, Gayle and Joseph Graves, her siblings and the community she was sent to serve with her kind and loving spirit. Born Batya Joi Graves on July 21, 1981, "Tia" was a gentle warrior, both tender and tough. Sister Brittnie and brothers Tory, Terrence and Travis called her "Little Mama." Even older brothers Carl and Alton, visiting from Florida, fell under Little Mama's spell. That was the role she played. Although she was next to the youngest of the Graves children, Tia put herself in charge and kept them all on task. She'd get the boys out of bed in the morning and made them move so they would all be on time for school. In fact, Tia was the boss of the block; she kept all the children in check. If it takes a village to raise a child, Tia was a village all her own. "Little Mama" grew up loving and caring for children and was naturally gentle with them. For a time, she worked at the Southampton Day Care Center where her colleagues would marvel at how soft she could be with the little ones and still get them to obey her. Tia loved others as she loved herself. It was her way of being – spirited, and with a loving kindness that the family says washed down from her grandmother, Mary June Williams, to her offspring, including Gayle, and to Gayle and Joe's five beautiful children. Living loving kindness is how the community knows the Graves family. Batya loved to cook and sew and learned both well from her grandmother, "Nonnie," A creative wonder, Batya made her own gown for her high school prom, and that was after distinguishing herself as an award-winning athlete. She played basketball and field hockey and was a cheerleader too. It was at those high school sports competitions that Batya met the love of her life, Ethan Smith, who lived with his large and loving family on the Shinnecock Reservation, where he was bathed from birth in the traditions and heritage of the indigenous people preserved over the centuries and passed down through the generations. Ethan played for sports for his Southampton High School; Batya played for rival the Pierson High School teams in Sag Harbor. But the schools' rivalry came down to a match made in heaven for the high school sweethearts. From high school, they fell in love. Upon graduation, Ethan went off to St. John's University, and Batya went to the Fashion Institute of Technology. They married in 2006. Who knew when Batya entered this world at Long Island Jewish Medical Center that she would be gifted with so many talents-talents she would amplify throughout her life? Her earliest impressions of the world were formed where the Graves family lived at the time, in Springfield Gardens, Queens. The family moved to Long Island's Sag Harbor when Tia was five years old. She was a confident and courageous young person, possessing a sense of exploration and readiness to always try something new. Growing up in a loving household gave Batya a model for cherishing her family and friends and for how all others should be treated. Pierson High School and her father, Joe's love of sports and dedication to coaching young people, nurtured Batya's competitive spirit. She was a champion! That competitive spirit and creativity also drove Batya the businesswoman. She and Brittnie and their friends Maya and Samantha launched More Simple Beauty, their company that painted artwork on jeans. And later, throughout the Hamptons, people came to know Poppin Patties, the business that Tia and her friends Deanna and Maya launched to bake and deliver crusty patties stuffed with a variety of delights. She had a tiny food trailer that mom Gayle named The Pattie Wagon. Tia, ever the Little Mama, would organize and put everyone to work, saying to family and friends when they'd stop by her and Ethan's home, "You can help out too!" Last summer, Batya ventured into another business with Deanna, the Hamptons Hiatus Social Club, a place for their events and others could host parties and meetings and other gatherings. And they had side hustles, like hiring the wait staff for local restaurants. Batya created her own opportunities. As an entrepreneur, she was never at a loss for new ideas. With her mother, she launched another food truck, Hamptons Tasty Bites. And she was a mentor to many young people, whom she counseled and advised on spiritual matters, cooking and the facts of life. Her 15-year marriage to Ethan Sean Smith blessed them with two devoted sons, Dakoda and Dyson, daughter Ishanti, and grandson Joesue, who survive her, along with husband Ethan; parents Joseph and Gayle Graves, mother-in-law Diane Smith; sister, Brittnie Graves; brothers Tory, Terrence, Travis, Carl and Alton Graves; sisters-in-law Tonya Hodges, Carly Graves, Tonya Graves, Lindsey Smith, Maya Jones and Fabiola Sevilla; brothers-in-law Brian Bess and Paris Hodges, and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Batya was predeceased by her late father-in-law Peter Smith, Sr., and brother-in-law Peter Smith, Jr. This Daughter of God has returned home to her Heavenly Father. With her, God truly blessed us. Batya Joi was and is our joy, a beautiful and strong warrior woman to the end. She will always be remembered as a loving wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, and sister-in-law, and now, our angel, forever in our hearts and lifting us up with the spread of her wings.