Berkeley Lake, and I think the entire world, lost a wonderful lady on September 12, 2009, Gay Smith. Gay passed just prior to her 77th birthday from cancer. But that is the sad part of her life and we should not dwell on that instead let's look at her life.

Gay was born Greyson Hancock in Nashville Tennessee on September 21, 1932 one of three (3) children born to E. Cliff Hancock and Greyson Love Hancock. She married Coke Smith in 1954 and they were married 55 years. Whenever I heard her speak to Coke she always addressed him as "sweetie" – 55 years and Gay still thought of him as her "sweetie". We should all be that lucky. They moved to Berkeley Lake in 1967 and have lived in the same house – 718 Lakeshore Drive. They raised four (4) children and while life threw them many curve balls – you would never know it by looking at Gay. She radiated joy and caring.

Gay was a talented artist, an evangelist, a lover of people, of life and a lover of her Savior, Jesus Christ. She not only attended Bible Studies throughout her life, she held many in her home – one of which I was lucky enough to be a part of. She loved cooking and sharing her home and she did this graciously and seemingly effortlessly. And she loved children – it was nothing for her to invite children into her home for art class or just playing around with all her wonderful paints and toys – and let's not forget the clown at all of the Fall Festivals.

Gay was a touchstone – all of us have friends that we care deeply for and would do anything to help in their time of need, but Gay had the rare ability to feel this way about virtually everyone she met. She would bring people from all different areas together focused on seeing the good in each other; and lasting friendships developed.

I am not sure who wrote this one, so apologize for not giving credit – but at the celebration of life, we were asked to share a feeling or thought about Gay and someone wrote the following that just sums it up better than anything I can say – "The angels in heaven have a new challenge. They will have a difficult time keeping up with that warm, wonderful, happy, precious soul – our much loved Gay".

We miss her and we think of her often, and that is great – but we should never mourn her, because she is exactly where God wanted her to be, with Him, entertaining and caring for so many just as she has done her entire life.