Mary Frances Smith

Mrs. Mary Frances Perry Smith was born on April 13, 1918. She was the oldest of four children born to the late James and Cassie Wilson Perry. A native of Suffolk, Mrs. Smith attended a private pre-school operated by Mrs. Ollie Harrell; form there she went to Andrew J. Brown Elementary and from there to Booker T. Washington in Suffolk. She grew up participating in most activities in most activities in her church, First Baptist, Mayhan Street. She and the other youngsters even assisted the janitor in keeping the church clean and Mrs. Smith would always say “it was the cleanest church she has ever seen.” At age 14, she was moved to the Senior Choir where her voice rang out. She had a wonderful voice and sang in a number of choirs at First Baptist, Berkley.

Upon graduating from high school, Sister Mary Frances came to Norfolk and enrolled in Jordan’s School of Beauty Culture. She had already begun sewing for others and actually owned and operated her own beauty salon before age 20. She would often reminisce about the many hairdos she had done as well as the dresses she made for twenty-five cents each; at the time, mostly during or right after the depression, people did not have money but still wanted to look pretty.

It was during her stay in Norfolk that she met Melvin Smith, a dapper, well dressed young man that she later married and in 1941 came to Norfolk to live. From this union, three children were born. Soon after arriving in Norfolk, she joined First Baptist, Berkley; she had already met Dr. Diamond and other pastors who maintained ties with her pastors in Suffolk. She sang in the
Sanctuary Choir, the Diamond Jubilee and was convener of the Fellowship Choir. She was a zealous supporter of the Norfolk Area Missionary Council for thirty years. As a missionary, she collected and distributed clothes to the needy and homeless for fifty years. Her favorite scripture is I Corinthians 13.

She whips together a mean bread pudding and her potato jacks are simply heavenly. Mrs. Smith was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. She leaves to cherish her memory a dear friend Viola Myrick of Norfolk; and a host nephews, nieces, cousins, family members and loved ones.