On behalf of me and my wife Chaitra, my brother David Darnell Harris and my sister Mara Lamont Hoskin Wright, it is with a deep sense of loss to announce that our mother, the indomitable Juanita Smith, was called home on Sunday morning. While this is a time of sadness for us and everyone who knew her, particularly her “surrogate” children from Operation HOPE – Rachael Doff and Sirjames Buchanon – we can take solace in the fact that she has been promoted to a higher place and is now free from the anxieties of this world.
Everything I am today, I owe to my mother.
Everyone who knew her, even briefly, can vouch for why. She was a spirited, determined force, whose wisdom was far more impactful than any formal education I ever received. I have had an abundance of blessings in my life, but the greatest one was being born her son. She brought me into this world and I was there, holding her hand, when she walked out.
That’s love.
Services for Ms. Juanita Smith will be held this coming Sunday, September 17, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, led by Senator Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, with a eulogy delivered by HOPE Global Spokesman Ambassador Andrew Young. Additional details will be forthcoming.
For those who would like to send flowers, please direct them to:
Donald Trimble Funeral Home
1876 2nd Avenue
Decatur, Georgia 30032
℅ Juanita Smith
Flowers will be distributed to senior citizen homes within Atlanta following the service.
