Extracted from The Daily Leader (Brookhaven, MS)
Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Mary Ellen Graves Smith

Visitation for Mary Ellen Graves Smith will be Tuesday, Aug. 16, from 5 until 8 p.m. at Riverwood Family Funeral Service. Services will be Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home chapel with burial at Clear Branch Baptist Church Cemetery.

A former basketball player and valedictorian of both Meadville High School and Copiah-Lincoln Junior College, Mary Ellen grew up to work at Baptist Hospital in Jackson and ran community grocery stores with her husband, Troy, in Brookhaven, before going back to college to fulfill a lifelong dream to teach. After receiving a bachelor's degree in Education from Whitworth College and a master's from the University of Southern Mississippi, she taught in both the Loyd Star and Brookhaven School Districts. An inspiring teacher, much loved by her students, Mary Ellen completed her career at Mullins Elementary School at the age of 72. She was a former pianist for Halbert Heights Baptist Church.

After her husband's experience with cancer, she devoted her life to exploring both accepted and alternative treatments, including organic alkaline diets and other therapies that today are starting to be recognized as significant treatments to the disease. Her greatest joys were her times on the road with her husband, reading/learning/teaching, and her children and grandchildren.

Preceding her in death were her husband, partner and the great love of her life, Troy Smith; her parents, John and Minnie Mae Graves; and her stepson, Tommy.

She is survived by her sister, Rosie M. Graves, of Brookhaven; her sons, John Wayne Smith and David Glynn Smith, of Wesson; her daughter, Patricia Ellen ``Tricia'' Smith Hamburger and husband Robert, of Washington, D.C.; her stepson, Melvin Smith, of Brookhaven; her nephew Reuben Graves and his wife Shirley, of Alexandria, La.; her sister-in-law, Etta Mae Brewer, of Brookhaven; and grandchildren, Nick, Matt, Heather, Ashley, Amy, Dean, James, Stacy and Maggie.

To express your thoughts to the family, you may visit www.riverwoodfamily.com and click on her name to leave a comment.