Rose Smith

Published 2:46 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2019

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Rose Mary Brown Smith was born on March 9, 1957, to Velma Brown Gatlin and Albert Smith Sr. She was the seventh child, and she transitioned from her earthly home to her heavenly home on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, at St. Tammany Parish Hospital with her children and loved ones by her side. She accepted Christ at an early age through Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Paul Eskano. She later joined Mt. Zion Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor E.D. Burns and A. J. Luter. She was a faithful servant in the church and community where she served as a Sunday school Assistant Superintendent, Vacation Bible School Director, Senior mission president and much more.

She was a 1995 graduate of Bogalusa High School and 1979 graduate of Grambling State University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work. While at Grambling, she was one of the Phi Beta Sigma Shadows. She loved her Alma Mater GSU. She worked with Bogalusa City Schools for several years, Good Samaritan Nursing Home and Quad Area.

She had an infectious smile that would light up the room, she loved her family, her peers and she would do all that she could to help her fellow man. She enjoyed doing community outreach, serving and feeding the community. Her life philosophy was “If I can help someone as I travel down life’s journey, then my living shall not be in vain.”

She leaves to cherish her memories: three devoted children, Renada (Kelvis) Brown of Bogalusa, Elvelyn Rasha Smith of Bogalusa, and Brandon (Britney) Smith of Bogalusa; eight grandchildren, Chas R. Smith, Ja’keithon T. Smith, Sanayia R. Smith, Jyren T. Smith, Brielle A. Smith, Baylor A. Smith, Brandon R. Smith II, and Brynlei A. Smith; several siblings, Jeanette Anderson of Atlanta, Ga., Charles (Sandra) Brown of Arlington, Texas, Patricia Henry of Bogalusa, Marshall Wayne Smith Sr. of New Orleans, Albert (Sybil) Smith Jr. of New Orleans, Beverly Caston of Atlanta, and Janice (Fred) O’Neal of Montgomery, Ala.; and a devoted sister-in-law, Johnnie Mae Sykes of Bogalusa; two godchildren, Howard D. Sibley Jr. of Columbus, Ohio, and Yakine Miller of Florida; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and close friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents Velma B. Gatlin and Albert Smith Sr.; grandparents, Lawrence and Rosie Smith, Maude T. Brown and Louise Brown; one brother, Cornelius Sykes; one grandson, Brayden R. Smith; special aunt and uncle, Maybel and Hollis Galloway; and uncle and aunt, Manual and Shirley Bolian.

Funeral arrangements are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 8, with the viewing from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Cook Richmond Funeral Home, followed by a family hour from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Bogalusa. Funeral services will be Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Bogalusa.

Cook Richmond Funeral Home is entrusted with the services. Interment will be at Bogalusa Cemetery.