Violet Louise Lewis Smith, age 81, passed away peacefully at Prisma Health Richland on August 30, 2020. She was born August 5, 1939 to Grace and Herbert Lewis and grew up in Elmwood, Illinois. She moved to Washington D.C. after high school to work in Civil Services for the Naval Security Group. It was in D.C. that she met a handsome First Class Security Officer named Bill, who also worked in the Naval Security Group. Most would describe their encounter as love at first sight, as Bill said he knew he wanted to marry her from the moment he saw her. After a brief whirlwind romance, the two were married in her hometown of Elmwood, Illinois on October 24, 1959.
Vi and Bill left from their wedding and moved to Michigan where they raised their three loving sons: Jeff, Brian, and Steve. There was nothing in the world that made Vi happier than being with children, which is why she devoted most of her life to caring for children. She went on to study Early Learning Skills and Child Development in the 1970s so that she could continue to work with children once her children were grown. Vi’s kindness and compassion made her an amazing caregiver. One of her proudest moments was her promotion to “Gran” when her grandson, Christopher was born.
In 1979 the Smith’s moved to Columbia, South Carolina which would start a new chapter of their lives. Vi accepted a nannying position with Deloris and Stewart Mungo to take care of their newborn son, Matthew. The Mungo’s were so attached to Vi that they asked her to be the Godmother of their daughter, Mary Mungo Dubisky, when she was born. As Mary would say, Vi was her “Fairy God Mother.” Vi touched the lives of numerous children over the years, but her tenure with the Mungo’s was the longest. Their children described her as being like another grandparent to them and said she was there through every milestone in their lives.
Vi is predeceased by her parents, Grace and Herbert Lewis; her two brothers, Don and Herbert, Jr; as well as her youngest son, Steven Smith. She is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, “Bill” Ernest Smith of Columbia, SC; sons, Jeffrey A. Smith of Columbia, SC and Brian Taylor-Smith (Jacob) of Florida; and grandson, Christopher Smith (Raven) of North Carolina.
A graveside service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at Bush River Memorial Gardens.
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