Florence Elaine Smith, age 72, passed away on August 21, 2023.

STRONG, PROTECTIVE, LOVING, GIVING, DEVOTED, HONORABLE

Florence Elaine Smith was born August 1, 1951, in Jacksonville, Florida to the late Jessie Lee Smith and Ernest Lewis Smith, Sr. She attended Eugene Butler High School and graduated in 1969.

She relocated to Cleveland, Ohio in 1970 where she met Fletcher Smith, Jr. On December 31, 1972, they were united in matrimony; to this union, three children were born: Angela Camille and twins, Tracy Patrick and Travis Jermaine. He preceded her death in November 1979.

Truly the love of her life, she never remarried. Instead, she devoted her life to raising her young children as a single parent, which included working night shifts as a Data Entry Clerk for JoAnn Fabrics Corporate and, in later years, with Superior Publishing Company in order to see her children off to and from school. As a young mother desiring to lead by example, she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior having been baptized by the late Reverend Louis Benson of Mary B. Wise Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in 1981.

Elaine was a strong supporter/advocate for her family, which included her love for her siblings. While raising her own children, she helped to raise her nieces and nephews having a total of seven children in the home at one time. She always extended her home to her loved ones in order to help them, with the only condition that they helped themselves. One of her greatest joys was being a grandmother, as well as “GG” to her great-grandson, Willie Jr., whom she affectionately called “G-Boy”. She truly enjoyed spending time taking him to school and/or seeing him off on the school bus. They were truly two peas in a pod!

On August 21, 2023, God saw that she was getting weary, so He did what He thought was best – He stood beside her and whispered to her “Come on home to rest”. She leaves behind to cherish fond and funny memories: Daughter, Angela Camille Semexant; Sons: Tracy Patrick Smith and Travis Jermaine Smith; Granddaughter: Traci Keyona Smith; Great-Grandson: Willie Patrick Hardy, Jr.; Siblings: Ernest Smith, Jr. (Jacqueline) of Jacksonville, FL; Gwendolyn Smith of Cleveland, OH; Jacqueline Smith of Daytona Beach, FL;  Virginia Green (J.D.) of Palm Coast, FL; Umar Sharif El (Adilah) of Jacksonville, FL; Ernest Michael Smith of Jacksonville, FL; Karl Smith of Cleveland, OH; Uncles: Alfonso Smith and Eddie Lee Smith of Brunswick, GA; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, children-in-love and friends.