Obituaries – Their Stories Live On

Our beloved mother passed away on Saturday morning January 15, 2022 in Beckley, WV.

She was born on March 30, 1932 in Chesterfield County, SC to Richard and Allie Campbell.

She was a 1950 graduate of Aracoma High School, Logan, WV. She left WV for Pittsburgh PA, where she met her husband, Albert Smith. That union bore five children, Alvin, Anne, Richard, Dennis, and Douglas.

She returned to Logan in 1963 and managed as a single parent. She worked and attended school to obtain her LPN and then RN license. She was the first black RN to graduate from the SWVCC Nursing Program. Some days she would leave work and go around the neighborhood giving insulin shots to the women on Draper Hill. She was active in a choir group that traveled to many churches and sang on the local radio station on Sundays. She worked with then Logan General and Guyan Valley Hospitals, Logan WV, until her retirement. Shortly after retiring she relocated to Beckley WV.

“Mrs. Alene” and “Aunt Alene” was a loving, giving person. She loved God and strove to live a Christian life. She had a forgiving nature and was unwavering in her faith. She taught her children to give out of your need. Neighborhood kids and visiting cousins loved to visit her home.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Albert Smith; father and mother, Richard and Allie Campbell; beloved son, Richard Arnold; grandsons, Marcus Donnel and Richard Alvin; five brothers and 2 sisters; Arnold Lee Campbell Sr, Ruby Lee Sullivan, Annie Campbell Clay, Richard James Campbell, John Henry Campbell, Joseph Beasley Campbell and Thomas Westley Campbell

Remaining to cherish her memory are four children, Alvin Smith (Teresa) of Toledo, OH, Douglas Smith (Josephine Grant) of Hyattsville, MD, Dennis Smith (Cheryl)of Beckley, WV, and Anne Smith of Tucson, AZ; eight sisters, Eliza Jane Dillard of Omar, WV, Hattie Mae Campbell of Martinsburg, WV, Elmer Campbell of Jackson, MS, Alberta Brown of Fredericksburg, VA, Mary Richardson of New Carrollton, MD, Martha Johnson of Rock Hill, SC, Judith Carol Campbell of Ft. Washington, MD, and Teresa Louise Johnson of Columbus, OH; ten grandchildren; eighteen great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, friends, and acquaintances.

In lieu of flowers the family urges you to do as Alene and donate to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105 (866) 278-5833.

As the scripture in 2 Corinthians 9 verse 7 states “...give what you have decided in your heart to give...for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Funeral service will be 1:00PM Sunday, January 23, 2022 at the Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor Chapel 748 S. Fayette St. Beckley with Rev. Philemon Dillard officiating.

Friends, while wearing masks and observing social distancing, may view and visit with the family one hour prior to the funeral service.

To view on Zoom Click: https://zoom.us/j/7305195029?pwd=MHRyR2s4L1lvODBPc0xuZ0hjS2ZoZz09 Passcode WJC7yE

Email condolences to ritchie-johnson@suddenlinkmail.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor, Beckley.