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Page A6
October 10. 2007
Soldier, James ‘Mailman’ Smith Remembered
Funeral services were held Monday at
Genesis Community Fellowship for James
A. Smith who died after a year of illness on
Thursday, Oct. 4,2007 at home surrounded
by his family, children, grandchildren and
close friends. He was affectionately known
as Baby James, Jimmy and Mailman.
He was born on Nov. 30, 1937 in
Clarksdale, Miss., an area known as "the
Delta" and "Home of the Blues.” He recom
mitted his life to the Lord Jesus before his
death, repented of his sins and made peace
with his God and was ready to "go home.”
He fought the good fight and ran the race
until the end. His favor
ite hymn was "Nearer
my God to Thee.”
He moved to Port
land in 1985 after 35
years o f active duty
service in the Army. He
retired from the U.S.
Postal Service in Port
land after 20 years of James A. Smith
service in July. He loved
being a soldier, especially a Buffalo Soldier
and served his community by raising aware-
nessoftheimportanceof African-American
history. He always made sure that soldiers
were never forgotten.
He loved the music of the Blues and
photo by M ark W ashington /T he P ortland O bserver
yearly attended the Blues festival at Moran
Freeman’s Blues Club in his hometown of A local contingent o f Buffalo Soldiers is part o f the procession that arrives at Genesis Community
Clarksdale. Many people and children lov Fellowship in northeast Portland Monday for the funeral o f fellow Buffalo Soldier James ‘Mailman ’
ingly knew him as "Mailman." He was fun- Smith who died Oct. 4 at the age o f 69.
Fifty Years of Links
continued
fro m Front
their visit to "Oregon Territory,"
but soon became impressed with
their sisters’ equal if not greater
sense of purpose.
The fundraising event began
with a few sets of folding chairs in
a neighborhood facility used for
woodcrafting, tickets going for
$3.50 apiece, but has grown to pack
the Convention Center with wine,
food and tables starting at $75 a
seat. What the original fair lacked in
elegance, it made up for in passion,
agree Walker and Williams.
As with most of the 275 chapters
of Links, including more than 10,000
women nationwide, the Portland !
group has expanded its focus from
youth and civil-rights issues to
include health concerns.
To kick off the 50th-anniver-
sary weekend of festivities, Port-
landLinkswillpresentPastorMary |
Overstreet-Smith with a 2007 meri
torious award from the entire west
ern cluster of Links to honor her !
work with Katrina evacuees. The
free ceremony is scheduled for 6 j
p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 at Legacy
Emanuel Hospital.
The next day, Saturday, Nov. 3
a $75 dinner and dance will take
place at 6 p.m. in the downtown
Embassy Suites.
loving, loved people and was always smiling.
He also loved horses, gardening, playing
dominoes and pool, and fashioned himself as
a photographer.
He had 12 sisters and brothers, seven chil
dren, 16 grandchildren and great grandchildren
and a host of nieces, nephews and friends. He
was preceded in death by parents Chambers
Smith who raised him; biological father Leander
Holden; mother Laurel Smith; sisters Geneva
Gates, Pearlie Mae Parker, Zenobia Prevot; and
brothers Chambers Smith and Michael Holden.
He is survived by Gloria Smith who he was
married for 35 years; brother Stanley (Edna)
Smith of Chicago; sisters Jessie Mae Pitman
of Indianapolis, Cleotha (George) Holden
Strong, Arlington Holden and Luci lie Holden-
Shaw of Los Angeles, and Rubye and Verle
Holden of Clarksdale and Ethel Holden-
Jennings o f A tlanta; children Alvin T.
(Adonna) Morris of St. Louis, Eleanor (Ben
jamin) Howard of Chicago, Donald Neal of
Nashville, Brenda Dizer-Coe and son-in-law
Joseph Coe of Las Vegas, James A. Smith Jr.
of Kuwait, Charles A. Smith Sr. and Pierre
(Kathy) Smith of Portland; grandchildren
Ryan Morris, Kevin Brown, Russell Dizer Jr.,
Erin Dizer, Nicole Bagby, Candace Alexander,
Alexandria Smith, Charles A. Smith II, Ashley
Sm ith and M arcus Sm ith, D estiny and
Taliyaha Neal, and great grandchildren Nicho
las Bagby, Gabriel Alexander, and Nashyia
Cuthbertson, and Tyus Jackson, and care
takers Leola Hopson and Mary Johnson of
Vancouver.
Ask Deanna'.
the household and our lives. If I husband and get him moving.
don’t do things, he’ 11 sit like a lump
on a log. If things don’t get done, Dear Deanna!
we argue. How can I get him to I bought a car from a friend and
meet me in the middle? -H a p p y it was a huge mistake. A fter I got
the car it broke dow n, started
Hut Tired; Toledo. Ohio
leaking oil and the transm ission
Dear Tired:
went bad. Because w e’re friends,
Your husband is a lost cause if you I thought we could work it out,
don’t have him trained or house and I w ould get som e o f my
broken by now. You should look money back. I approached him
Dear Deanna!
on the bright side and be glad he about these issues and he told me
My husband is very selfish and has a job, he’s not abusive and
it w asn’t his problem. I d o n 't
inconsiderate. We have a healthy he’s involved with the children
know what to do because a m e
relationship, our finances are good instead of being on a milk carton
chanic told me he had the car
and we are good parents to our I ike a dead-beat dad. Take an analy
fixed ju st enough to sell it. I feel
children. The biggest issue in the sis o f the pros and cons in your
betrayed and want to know if I
relationship is the fact he w on't marriage, and if the negatives are
can sue him ? —M elinda; Boston
help with anything. I have to do all more than the positives, seek coun
the shopping, cleaning, planning seling, hang in there and do the Dear Melinda:
for activities and everything to run best you can to motivate your Y our friend ripped you o ff by
selling you a lemon and left you
with a silly look on your face.
T h e re 's not m uch you can do
unless you have docum ents, the
term s o f the sale and sim ilar pa
perw ork you w ould norm ally
receive from a dealership. Your
car is on the road dead, your
friendship is ruined and your
m oney is gone. It’s worth going
to sm all-claim s court because he
d id n 't think about you, so you
should handle your business and
get ready to see the judge.
Ask Deanna is written by Deanna M.
Write Ask Deanna! Email:
askdeannal@yahoo.com or 264 S.
LaCienega Blvd. Suite 1283 Beverly
Hills.
CA 90211.
Website:
www.askdeanna.com
This ad w ould w ork a lot b e tte r if yo u ’d asked to see it.
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