My Mom: A brief biography from Charity Ann Smith

My mom was born in Cincinnati and lived here until she was 41, when she and my dad moved back to the farm where he had grown up in southern Illinois.

Born and raised in Cincinnati, she graduated from Princeton High School. She attended Cincinnati Bible College, then took time off to raise two daughters and a son. As her daughter, I can say that she always gave the gift of her time and the gift of her self. She was a person who enjoyed "being," not simply doing.

All her life, my mom created art. She worked with paint, clay, fabrics, stained glass, pastels and all types of found objects.

Later in life, she took the role of a nontraditional student and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Miami University-Oxford with a degree in Fine Arts. She then earned a Master of Fine Arts from Eastern Illinois University. After this, she taught painting, art appreciation, drawing and sculpture at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Illinois. She was also a sought-after Judge of fine art for several Illinois art shows and competitions. My dad said that at art shows, she "always found something good about each contestant." He also called her a "woman of accomplishment."

My mom was wholly devoted to her faith. She and my dad co-pastored for 35 years at both Fellowship Christian Church in Monfort Heights and Grace Community Church in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. She brought her artistic gifts to serve people in and out of the church her whole life.

As a team, my parents also operated Smith Family Farms, where they raised and sold beef cattle. My mom was active in all areas of the farm, from bottle-feeding orphaned calves to feeding the team of farmers to even naming some of the cows.

She was a woman who was loved by so many people in her short time on Earth.

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Other online stories about Deb include:
Mt Vernon Register-News
Cincinnati Enquirer