Brenda Smith

Brenda I. Smith, 77, of Green Valley, passed from this life and into the presence of her Savior, Jesus Christ, on Monday, November 18, 2024, at the home of her daughter and family.

Brenda was born to Egbert “Gene” and Mary (Glenn) Graham on September 7, 1947, at the home of her paternal grandparents in rural Mt. Vernon, Illinois.  She married Russell Lee Smith, of Aroma Park, at Bradley Evangelical United Methodist Church in Bradley, IL, on October 12, 1968.

She is survived by her husband, Russell L. Smith, of Green Valley; three sons, Russell G. Smith of Manteno, Nathan (Tina) Smith of Hopedale, and Mike (Lara) Smith of Purgitsville, West Virginia; one daughter, Lora (Tim) Webb of Delavan; twenty-three grandchildren – Russell, Megan, Kaitlyn, Kristyn, Matthew, Carolyn, and Andrew Smith of Carrollton, GA, Chris (Rachel) Smith of Delavan, Ethan (Leah) Smith of East Peoria, Emily (Josh) Carroll, Todd (Abby) Smith, and Annelyse Smith of Hopedale, Elijah, Rebekah, Marcus, Anna, Thomas, and Daniel Webb of Delavan, Corey Smith of Corriganville, MD, Sophia, Eli, Ian “Toby,” and Clara Smith of Purgitsville, WV; one great-grandson, Cyrus Smith; and one brother, Bob (Diane) Graham of Geneseo.

Brenda was preceded in death by her parents and her grandson, Timothy Smith.

When Brenda was 6 months old, her parents moved with her to the Kankakee, Illinois, area looking for work.  After accepting Jesus Christ as her Savior, she was baptized at age 9 in the Evangelical United Brethren Church (currently Bradley Evangelical United Methodist Church).  She sang in the church’s junior choir, which toured locally and also made a record during her time in the choir.  She graduated from Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in 1965.  After her graduation she worked at ACE Hardware in Kankakee (where she met her future husband) and later at the Joliet Arsenal.

Between his two tours of duty in Vietnam with the USN, Russell Lee married Brenda and gave her engagement ring its long-awaited mate on October 12, 1968.  The young couple was stationed at Davisville, Rhode Island for three months before Russell rejoined his Construction Battalion in Vietnam.  While her husband was overseas, Brenda moved back to her hometown, Bourbonnais.  After active duty, the couple moved to Grant Park where they started their family before moving to Green Valley in 1987.

Brenda was devoted to her family – as a daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.  In fact, her license plate was “GMA TXI 1” for many years.  As a Christian, Brenda quietly served in many supporting rolls within her church families.  At Bradley EUM, she and Russell chauffeured a number of children to church and Sunday school and corralled them in the pews.  At Valley Chapel in Green Valley she volunteered much of her time in sewing, cooking, serving hundreds of meals and snacks, and patiently helping and transporting those in need.

Brenda always had a new Christian fiction book or two in her bag to read and, for a short time, had a business called “Brenda’s Books”.  An early supporter of Lamaze and La Leche League, Brenda was a “stay-at-home” and a “home-schooling” mom when none of those things were popular in the 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s.  She encouraged others who would endeavor in these realms.  Brenda was an amazing seamstress!  She made and tailored countless items of everyday clothing, wedding attire, costumes for Halloween, VBS and Christmas plays, including Valley Chapel’s “A Night in Bethlehem”.  Her last sewing project was to tailor her eldest granddaughter’s wedding dress.  She also took time to teach others what she had learned.  For over 15 years Brenda delved into her later hobby of quilting and was a part of Patchwork Pals. Brenda’s most recent hobby was collecting bells, which she has done for the past three years.  In her last days it greatly pleased her to have her children and grandchildren gather around her bed to choose a bell to keep from her collection.

Her memorial service will  be at 11:00 am Saturday, November 23, 2024 at Valley Chapel in Green Valley.  Pastor Nate Best will officiate. Visitation will be from 9 to 11 am, Saturday, also at the church. Davis-Oswald Funeral Home in Delavan is handling the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Valley Chapel Independent Bible Church, 5903 Chapel Road, Green Valley, IL 61534.

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