Mrs. Lena Mae Rogers Smith was born in Beloit, Alabama to the late parents of Clabron and Leanna Tasby Rogers, January 25, 1933.  She was the third oldest of eight children.

Lena confessed Christ at an early age on a mourn bench in Mt. Calvary AME Methodist Church in Beloit, Alabama.  She was a very faithful and an active member of her church.  Lena attended Sunday school regularly as a young teen and was selected to attend as a candidate to Sunday school conventions and sang in the teen choir.  During her teen years, she taught Catechism classes to young children during the summer months as a stand-in instructor for her cousin while she continue her college career in Education.

Lena’s education was at the Dallas County Training School in Beloit Alabama.  After completing her education in 1951 at Selma University High School, she moved to Birmingham, Alabama, to live with her oldest sister, Mary, where she attended Booker T. Washington Business School during the evening and worked as a trainee dietitian at Highland Hospital during the day.

Later, Lena moved to Cleveland, Ohio to live with her grandmother, the late Mary L. London, in 1954.  She continued to serve the Lord and attended church regularly with her grandmother.  Later she felt the need to be baptized by emersion and was baptized at the Mt. Haven Baptist Church.

Lena met and married the late Joseph N. Smith, Jr. October 22, 1956.  After the death of her husband in July of 1964, Lena join the New Home Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. James E. McJunkin, Sr. and served as financial secretary.  She also served as treasurer of the adult usher board and treasurer of the Progressive Christian Teens, a scholarship program for students entering college.

In 1966, she moved her membership and was among the thirty nine (39) Charter members to organize the Affinity Missionary Baptist Church.  She continued her service as financial secretary of the church, was a member of the Constitution Committee, assistant super-intendant of Sunday school, assisted the deaconesses with communion, served as assistant church clerk, and was treasurer of Youth in Mission, President of the Hearts of Affinity and a member of the adult usher board.

After completing 10 years of bible study, Lena taught first year bible class until an instructor was put in place.  After this placement, she served as a substitute instructor for first and second year classes.  During this tenure, she also served as the Christian Education Director for several years.  Lena attended, as a reprehensive, to the Progressive National Baptist Convention, the American Baptist Convention and the Cleveland Baptist Association, meeting yearly.

Lena was very civic minded…she worked on community issues during the Carl Stokes and Arnold Pinky era making sure there was a voting area in place at Affinity Baptist Church for non-registered voters.

Lena was employed at the Kroger Warehouse Company in Solon, Ohio for five years as one of many secretaries.  Later, she was employed at the Affinity Baptist Missionary Church as the Executive Secretary to the late Rev. James McJunkin and later to Pastor Ronald Maxwell until her retirement in May, 2000 after suffering a minor stroke.

Lena departed this life on Saturday, November 28, 2015.  She leaves to cherish her passing five children; daughter, Janet E. Mann (Clarence) of Montgomery, Alabama; son, Lance (Melinda) of Columbus, Ohio; daughter, Starlene Smith Knuckles (Anthony) of Cleveland, Ohio; son, Alan (Delena) of New Hampshire and step-son, Joseph N. Smith III (Gari) of Lexington, Tennessee, four brothers; Henry, Clabron, Johnnie, Robert, three sisters, Mary, Etta, Ella, a host of great-grand children, grand children, nieces, nephews and friends.

In Appreciation ~ the family acknowledge with deep appreciation your many kind expressions of sympathy and love.  We are grateful for all acts of kindness during our hour of bereavement.  We sincerely thank you and pray God’s richest blessings upon each of you…

The Smith/Rogers families