Ada Smith
November 12, 1923 ~ May 27, 2008

Eulogy:
Ada Smith was born in Cleveland November 12, 1923 to Charles Evlyn Smith, of Irish ancestry, from Michigan, and Lillian (Lego) Smith, of English and Italian ancestry, from England. Ada was probably born at Deaconness Hospital.

Ada was a part of Franklin Circle Christian Church from the beginning, and she proudly showed off her Cradle Roll Certificate from this church. She was baptized in October of 1943 by the Rev. F. H. Groom. She wrote on her Family Information Sheet, “[I] don’t know [the] exact date, except it was on a Sunday at 7:30 p.m.”

Her family included her older brothers Bruce and Chuck, her older sisters Ruth and Leona, her younger brother, Al, and younger sister, Lillian.

Ada attended Mills Elementary School in Cleveland, and was attending Lincoln High School when her mother took her out after the 10th grade to be at home with her.

For much of her life Ada lived in North Olmsted, Ohio. In 1950 she moved to Lawn Ave. in Cleveland, and then to Smith St. in 1960. She lived on Smith until 2006 when she moved into St. Augustine Towers on Lake and Detroit Avenues.

In 1964 Ada’s mother, Lillian, had a stroke and became bedridden. Ada was her primary caregiver until her mother died in 1968. Her father had died previously.

When Ada moved to Cleveland in 1960 she began working at Forest City Products in downtown Cleveland. After her mother died, she began working for St. Augustine Manor in the housekeeping department, where she worked for 12 years. When she retired, she continued to volunteer there until only very recently. She was honored several times for her volunteer work there, having logged over 8,500 hours of community service to the institution.

Her family included many nieces and nephews, including: Barbara, Diane, Mary, David, Roberta, Charles, Kenny, Herbert, Margaret, Peter, Deidre, Warren, Lynn, Sandra, Annette, Cynthia, and Jennifer. Ada was never married. We also honor as her family her many “doggie-pals,” including, most recently, her Goldie and her Sunny.

Ada was a Deaconess at Franklin Circle Christian Church, and became an honorary Deaconess as her mobility declined. In 2004 She was honored with the Faith & Community Life Award from Franklin Circle Christian Church for her willingness and ability to put her deep and abiding faith into action beyond the walls of this church and improve the lives of those in our community. She has also been awarded the Senior Retired Volunteer Program award not once, but twice.

For a while in the 1950’s and 60’s, Ada showed dogs, especially her two Collie’s Sheila and Pixie, two puppies from the same litter, from England. Ada would take Sheila and Pixie to the shows in a cab and on the elevator! Ada’s other hobbies included being a pen-pal to persons in England, Scotland, Holland, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand. She loved reading, keeping track of her family history, doll making (she belonged to the Cleveland Doll Club for a few years), and, of course, PHOTOGRAPHY!

On May 27, 2008, following her decline after a stroke, Ada Smith died. She was buried at Sunset Memorial Park in North Olmsted.

Sermon:

In thinking of Ada, I thought I’d look up the key text in the New Testament outlining what a Deacon is.

1 Timothy 3:8-13

8 Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; 9they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. 11Women* likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons be married only once,* and let them manage their children and their households well; 13for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

“Hold fast to the mystery with a clear conscience.”

Who could have proven the New Testament writers to be limited by their culture than Ada Smith? Paul, writing to the church through his disciple, Timothy, implies here that “deacons” are not women, and women are not to be deacons. Although, in Romans Phoebe, a woman, is clearly named a deacon. In any case, Ada Smith lived the life of a Deaconess perfectly.

The word Deacon is from the Greek, “diakoneo,” which is at its root the word, “servant,” or, to be blunt, an errand boy or a waitress. Ada was a true servant of God, and did so with dignity, humility, humor, and love. She literally “waited on” people, caring for family members, caring for her beloved patients and friends at St. Augustine’s, and caring for people in the church, many who she had never met, by sending cards and packets of wildly weird and wonderful pictures, newspaper articles, and personal greetings.

But Ada, in her later years, also waited in another way. She waited for rides to church, and waited to be taken to other places she had need of to go. What a gift you gave her, those of you who transported Ada to the places she needed to go. But what a gift she gives all of us in having taught us the grace of waiting. So much spiritual growth can happen, if we wait with spiritual intentions!

Jacob prayed "I wait upon your salvation, O Lord.” (Gen 49:18) The Psalmist prays, “5I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.” (105) The prophet Isaiah sings, “but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isa.40:31) Paul tells us, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Rom. 8:25)

Ada waited, and her waiting enriched her faith in Jesus Christ. But the greatest gift of learning to wait, either in service to others or in anticipation of others, is that by doing so we are more able to “hold fast to the mystery with a clear conscience.” It is hard to both discern mystery and to have a clear conscience if one is always moving, doing, fretting, being busy.” Ada was in touch with the mystery of God, of this I am certain. And therefore Ada had a clear conscience. Of this, I am even more certain.

Thanks be to God, for Ada Smith, for her waiting upon others, for her waiting for others, and for the mystery her waiting helped her to behold, which enabled her to have a clear conscience as she boldly approached God’s glorious throne of love.

Amen.

 

Copyright 2008 -- The Rev. Allen V. Harris

Franklin Circle Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

1688 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44113-3096