Mary E. Gilmore Smith, 77 of Benton, went to be with the Lord on May 27th, 2023 surrounded by her family as she closed her eyes to this world and stepped  into the paradise of Heaven.  She bravely fought Pulmonary Fibrosis for the last 4 years.  The one thing she didn't want to lose with this illness was her ability to Sing.  We all can picture her standing next to her daddy and siblings in Heaven, singing Praises to Our Lord with a new body free from all illness.

Mary was born on June  8th, 1945 in Saline County to James and Paralee Sanders.  She was the 10th of 12 children in her family and the first to graduate from Paron High School.  Education was very important to her and she made sure the siblings behind her had that opportunity.  Her mother passed on a way of life that became her motto:  Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.  Gardening, canning, sewing and quilting were some of her many talents and her way of life.  She loved learning new things, she learned to make cheese, soap, and even crocheting.  She even taught her granddaughter, Ashley how to play the piano over the phone 500 miles away.  She was a woman of many talents.

As a young girl she worked in a nursing home and dreamed of becoming a Nurse.  She achieved that dream after she raised her daughter and saw her graduate from college first.  Mary graduated from Baptist School of Nursing as an LPN in 1989 and then immediately returned to school to obtain her RN degree in 1991.  Most of her career was spent at Saline Memorial Hospital as a charge nurse on the 4th floor caring for post op surgery patients, orthopedic, and general medicine patients.  Her last few years were spent nursing in the outpatient surgery area until she was forced to retire due to a back injury.  Many of her past fellow nurses have described her as dependable, a great mentor, compassionate to her patients, a great leader, and an overall exceptional Nurse.  She touched many lives in the many years of her nursing career.

When one door closed another will open, she always told us.  The hand of God was truly involved when she stared the 2nd act of her life.  For the last 20 years, God blessed her with the love of her life, Wayne Smith.  God truly works in mysterious ways as evidenced by the way they met.  She always said I will never marry a preacher or a bald man-but she did both in July of 2003.  No longer able to Nurse, the door to the Nursing home singing ministries opened with her husband by her side.  They were blessed to do this for over 17 years and went to over 4 different local nursing homes spreading God's Love.  If you knew anything about Mary, it was her love for singing.  She grew up singing with her daddy every morning and every night, waking the whole house up.  Self-taught in the piano, guitar, and Dobro, she shared these gifts with others.  Many years were spent as a song leader at Wrights Chapel Church and singing in the Golden Harmony Quartet in the 1990's.  Mary is a member of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and taught preschool bible classes every week until she no longer could.  She had the opportunity to even have three of her great grandchildren in her preschool class, something these children will always remember.

The family was very important to this lady.  She loved every one of her grandkids and great grandkids deeply.  She could be fierce like a lion if anyone tried to hurt one of her babies.  She was so selfless, she made sure they all had what they needed, maybe not always what they wanted.  Kathrine, Daniel, and Ashley got a college education without any worries because of her sacrifices.  Her life was a blessing to all that knew her and her memory our treasure.

Mary leaves behind her husband, Wayne Smith, daughter, Kathrine (Kelley) Smith of Bauxite, stepdaughters, Shannon (Jeff) Dobbins of Cabot, Elizabeth Smith of Henderson, Kentucky, grandson, Daniel (Lily) Smith of Pasadena, Texas, granddaughter, Ashley (Jeff) Young of Benton, two granddaughters from her marriage with Kelly Gilmore of 34 years, Kim Gilmore-Fredrick (Darren), Karen Gilmore-Shelnut, both of Benton; six great grandchildren, Theodore Smith, Oliver Smith, Ellie Smith, Hunter Young, Wyatt Young, and Oaklynn Young; brother, Adam Sanders of Oklahoma and sister, Alma Johnson of Clinton, Arkansas.  She was a bonus mama and grandma to many in our community because she had a huge heart of Love.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, James and Paralee Sanders, brothers, Marion, Luther, Harvey, James, and George Sanders; sisters, Mildred Sanders, Annie Malone, Martha Riley, and Betty Davis.  Step son, Sherman K. Gilmore, one great grandchild, Payton Young that now grandma will get to hold and love.

Pallbearers will be Glenn Sanders, Michael Sanders, Stanley Sanders, Ken Honeysuckle, Charles Leivsay, and Tommy Banks.

Visitation will be at Ashby Funeral Home on Thursday, June 1st, 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Church services by Ashby Funeral Home will be on Friday, June 2nd at Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church at 1:00 p.m. with Bro. Chris Floyd and Bro. Larry Elmore officiating.  Burial will follow at Pine Crest Cemetery in Alexander.

The family would like to thank Arkansas Hospice for the outstanding compassionate care they took of Mary in her last days.  We want to thank her nurse, Ashley Womack for everything she did to make this time in mom's life comfortable and memorable.

The ladies of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church will be providing a luncheon for the family at 11:30 before services at 1:00 p.m.