Coretha
Louise Smith was born on April 14, 1931 in Vienna (Dooley County),
Georgia. She was the oldest of fourteen children born to the union
of Henry and Brooksie Lucas.
She graduated from
Gillespie High School in Cordele, Georgia.
Coretha attended
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
in Drayton, Georgia with her family, where she was an active member.
While visiting
family one summer in Chattanooga, Tennessee
she met Mr. Billy Smith. After a brief courtship, they were married
on July 13, 1951 and this union was blessed with four sons and one
daughter. In her latter years, she was also blessed to have raised
one granddaughter, Chinique (Nikki).
Billy and Coretha
moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1952
where she worked a variety of jobs until 1965. It was then that she
became an entrepreneur and opened the store “Handy Beverage” at
66th and Hough in Cleveland,
Ohio. She operated this business until 1978. She also
worked as a private duty nurse. She was an avid bowler winning many
trophies. She also loved talking on the phone to family and
friends.
Coretha Smith is
preceded in death by Billy Smith, her husband of 40 years; her
parents, Henry and Brooksie Lucas; her brother, John Henry; and
two sisters, Linda and Debra Lucas.
Coretha leaves to
celebrate her life four sons, Larry (Diane) Smith of
Atlanta, GA, Timothy (Hermie)
Simmons of Cleveland, OH, Lavoris
(Tanya) Smith of Garfield Heights, OH, and LaWayne (Erika) Smith of
Cleveland, OH; one daughter, Jacquelyne (Timothy) Turner of
Rochester, NY; ten siblings,
Pauline Pettway of Rochester, NY, Loria (William) Dunlap of Orlando,
FL, Renee Lucas of Rochester, NY, Barbara (Tommy) Tucker of Ft.
Lauderdale, FL, David (Althea) Lucas of Rochester, NY, Elizabeth
Lucas of Cordele, GA,
Alexander Lucas of Rochester, NY,
Dewey (Martha) Lucas of Rochester, NY, Willie James Lucas of
Orlando, FL, and Brooksie (Harry) Hall of Rochester, NY; two aunts,
Freddie Mae McKenzie and Luella Beal of Cordele, GA; 18
grandchildren; 29 great-grandchildren; and many, many,
nieces, nephews; as well as a host
of other loving relatives and friends.
