Willie Pearl Smith

Obituary For Willie Pearl Smith

The funeral services for the late Mrs. Willie Pearl Smith, who departed this life on Monday, March 23, 2026, will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at the New Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Ashburn, Georgia. Reverend Travis T. Johnson will deliver the Eulogy. Burial will follow in the Westview Memorial Cemetery in Ashburn, Georgia.

You are here to pay your final respects to me. I was born Willie Pearl Smith on February 1, 1933 in Turner County, Georgia (Ashburn, Georgia); the ninth child conceived of eleven to Rufus and Corene Chatman-Smith. I was the youngest daughter. I attended Turner County Public Schools.

At an early age, I dedicated my life to Christ at the Zipp Baptist Church of Worth County, Georgia.

On January 5, 1949, I was united in Holy Matrimony to my late, estranged husband, Ellis Johnson. Through this union, 4 children were conceived: Hattie Gail, Cynthia, Rufus William, and Vivian Joyce Johnson.

I relocated with my family to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where my son Rufus William was born. After a brief stay, I traveled and settled in Far Rockaway, NY, where I raised my family.

I was employed at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank (J.P. Morgan Bank, Chase) as a check processor in the Check Processing Department for over 25 years. I retired in 1992 and relocated back to my hometown, Ashburn, Georgia. There, I spent my time getting reacquainted with relatives and friends.

I was a avid reader, and I enjoyed reading historical and ethical books, especially African-American History. I got great pleasure in reading my Bible intensely and regularly.

I enjoyed spending my leisure time weekend shopping at the Roosevelt Field Mall in Long Island, NY. In Georgia, it would be the Albany Mall in Albany, Georgia.

I am preceded in death by my son Rufus William Johnson, my grandson Shamdell Tart, my 10 siblings, my parents and my niece Ranice Anderson.

Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, aunt, cousin, good friend, matriarch of the Smith family, leaves to mourn her three children, Hattie Gail Johnson, Vivian Joyce Johnson and Cynthia Woods; grandchildren Ahmad and Mulazim Woods, Shakeria Joseph, Lateef Brown; 13 great-grands and 8 great-great grands.

Special family and friends Rosalind and Lyonisha Frazier, Joan Rodriguez, Patricia Bradley, Almay Ellis, Diane Durden, Jenny Lee Salsa; lifetime special friend Geneva Jackson; cousin China Chatfield; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Send flowers to the service of Willie Pearl Smith