Dolores Smith

Dolores (Lois) Smith, 68, of Rand West Virginia, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, following a long illness. She was born December 12, 1955, in Charleston, West Virginia, a daughter of the late Sebert Sr. and Sarah (Corrine) Smith.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Sebert Sr. and Sarah (Corrine) Smith; her brother, Franklin Dewitt Walker Sr.; and her son, Dante’ Antonia Ford.

Born and raised in Rand, Lois carried the heart of her hometown with her and throughout her life where it instilled in her a love of family, and an unshakable faith in God. Though her journey on Earth has ended, she is reunited in Heaven with her beloved parents, her son, Dante’ Antonio Ford, her brother, Franklin Dewitt Walker Sr., and her nephew, Christopher Carey.

Lois leaves a lifetime of treasured memories with her son, Aric Drake Ford, her siblings, Gerald (Helen) Dixson from Georgia, Sarah (Winnie) Smith, Roslyn Smith, Sebert Smith Jr., Elizabeth Willis, and Hope (Johnnie) Ross from Charleston. As well as a large, loving circle of nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Lois was a graduate of DuPont High School, Class of 1974. She had an innate artistic talent, a gift that was recognized by the School of Art in New York, where she was invited to study. Yet, her love for family kept her close to home, and it was this love that became the cornerstone of her life. Whether creating beautiful crochet pieces, expressing herself through art, or enjoying the excitement of playing the lottery, Lois embraced life’s simple pleasures with a joyful heart.

Her greatest joy, was raising her two sons, Aric Drake Ford and Dante’ Antonio Ford, and two special young men (Randy Moss and Shawn Carter). Lois poured her heart into motherhood, and her legacy lives on in her children. Lois was a nurturer, a guiding light, and a source of constant love for her family. Her home was filled with laughter, warmth, and unwavering support, and she leaves behind an example of life well-lived, rich with love and faith.

Lois’s faith was a guiding light she attended church at Rand Bethel Nazarene and Levi First Missionary Baptist. She was a woman of quiet strength, deeply rooted in her belief in God, and she shared this faith with everyone she encountered.

Funeral Services to honor Lois’s life and legacy will be held at Levi First Missionary Baptist Church, 5125 Church Drive, Rand, West Virginia 25306. Stevens & Grass Funeral Home, 4203 Salines Drive, Malden, West Virginia and Sunset Memorial Park, 4301 MacCorkle Avenue SW, South Charleston, West Virginia.

Lois’s life was a beautiful symphony of love, faith, and kindness. Though she is no longer with us in body, her spirit will forever live on in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know her. She will be remembered for her love of family, her creative spirit, and the quiet yet profound ways she touched the lives around her.

May her soul rest in everlasting peace.