Obituaries – Their Stories Live On

The Life and Memories of Yvonne Smith

Yvonne was born, the oldest of two children, to the union of Charles E Wallace & Cecilia Showes in Cincinnati, OH on November 4, 1941.

Yvonne and her sister, Gerry were raised in the small community of Hazelwood (Blue Ash) and there she attended White Oak Elementary School. Reared in the church, she attended the 1st Pentecostal church under the leadership of Bishop Eddie Lee Forster. She spent a lot of time going to church and “playing” church with her friends according to her childhood friends, Carol & Judy. They recount, “There was a grape arbor in our backyard beneath two large fruit trees. The vine would shade us while we played church. There were six (6) of us, Vonnie (Yvonne), Gerry, Charity, Annie Pearl, Carol Marie & Judy Ann. Vonnie was always the minister!”

Yvonne’s parents divorced when she and her sister were young. Her mother, Cecilia and grandmother, Junietta were instrumental in their upbringing. Her mother was a preacher and, on many occasions, she would preach on street corners and take Yvonne and her sister Gerry with her. They would play the tambourine & sing songs. She would be so embarrassed, she said, because the kids would make fun of them! She attended Withrow High School until her junior year.

Yvonne moved away from Hazelwood at an early age. In her early 20’s she worked as a nurse’s assistant in labor & delivery at Good Samaritan Hospital. On a couple occasions she was even asked to assist in delivering a baby! Across the way from the hospital there was new construction going on and she noticed while glancing out a window that there was a good-looking man working on one of the beams. She really liked what she saw. She pulled one of her co-workers over to the window to show her. She pointed out the man on the beam to her friend and said, “see him? I’m going to marry him!!” She didn’t know his name or anything about him, but she knew what she wanted. She didn’t know how she was going to meet him but one day the young man made his way over to the hospital where Yvonne and the coworker were standing outside. The co-worker wrote down Yvonne’s telephone number on a piece of paper and gave it to the young man. His name, H. David Smith. They met in 1968. Sometime later they began dating and on May 23, 1970, they were married, it was David’s birthday! They began a family and eventually in 1978 David was transferred to help construct a nuclear power plant in Phoenix, AZ.

Yvonne’s new life began in Phoenix and there were a lot of new adjustments to make. Because she didn’t graduate from high school, she was determined to get her G.E.D. She attended night school at Trevor G Brown High School and completed and received her G.E.D. in 1979! They began attending church regularly at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church, where she became involved in ministry, Sunday School, bible study, and the women’s ministry which progressed into teaching. Under the leadership of Elder Linzie Brown (Love Chapel C.O.G.I.C), she began her preaching ministry. Her gift was teaching! She loved to read and study God’s Word. It was nothing for her to spend all day, from the moment she got up to the moment she went to sleep studying, praying, and writing notes. She took great care in making sure that when she taught, everyone would gain understanding. Her desire was that every believer she taught the Word to, would gain understanding and grow spiritually mature in God.

Yvonne & David, in 1991 left Phoenix, AZ to head to WV, which at that time was to take care of her mother-in-law, Dakota Smith. After Dakota’s passing, David continued to work construction traveling on the road. They moved around a lot from Cincinnati, to VA, to WY to AK, to AL… She really enjoyed traveling on the road! From a very young age traveling was a great passion of hers. They finally settled down in WV living in Lester and Bolt before settling permanently in Kinkaid, WV. Yvonne & David were frequent visitors to many churches of various denominations.

Yvonne was frequently asked to speak & teach at many churches and when asked for her title and biography she would simply tell them she was a “Storyteller.” Their paths crossed with Pastor Terry Damron shortly after moving to Kincaid and they eventually joined the Hilltop Family Worship Center in Fayette County, WV. Over the years they continued to visit many congregations throughout southern WV.

Yvonne’s interests included travel, learning other cultures and languages, and collecting antiques but above all else her family and teaching the Word of God were her ultimate passions!!

Yvonne was preceded in death by her Father Charles Wallce, mother Cecilia Nicholson, sister Geraldine (Gerry) Boyd.

Yvonne leaves behind to cherish her memory her husband, H. David Smith; four sons, Robert, Rodney (Christine), Michael, Greg (Tracy); four daughters, Bonita (Cornel), Stephanie (Daryl), Terry (Winston), Dana (Kennedy); ten grandchildren; twenty-three great-grandchildren; sister, Barbara Erkins-Eady; three brothers, William Wallace, Charles D Wallace, and Robert E Wallace; her closest longtime childhood friends, Carol & Judy and a host of family & friends!

Funeral service will be 12:00PM Saturday, September 14, 2024 at Heart of God Ministries 1703 S. Kanawha St. Beckley with Pastor Sandra Jackson officiating. Burial will follow in Blue Ridge Memorial Gardens, Prosperity.

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

Email condolences to ritchiejohnsonfuneralparlor@gmail.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor, Beckley.