Zhoie-Marilyn Patrice Smith

Born on Thursday, November 17, 2022, from 4:06 am-5:15 am to RaShad Jamal Smith & La'Toya Jessica Smith. Zhoie was our miracle baby. We found out we were pregnant at 6 weeks. La'Toya suffered through multiple health issues which led to major surgery & she was informed by her infertility specialist that the only option to succeed with conceiving would be through the help of IVF. After trying for 1 year & 1/2, RaShad & La'Toya were overwhelmed with joy in finding out it happened naturally. Once the gender was revealed as a girl, La'Toya instantly knew what she wanted her to be named. As her name means "LIFE". Zhoie was just that to her parents & many others that learned of her presence in the womb. La’Toya dreamt of giving Zhoie the ”LIFE” she never had. While in her mother’s womb; Zhoie was so energetic & full of “LIFE”. She was just like her mother stubborn, shy, & didn’t want to be bothered. She was still as a mouse when the room was full of voices she didn’t recognize. During every prenatal visit, she would bounce around, turn her back, flip upside down, or put her hands up so they couldn’t see her face through every ultrasound. She would often kick her mommy’s belly as she would try to sleep. She was a resemblance to her father as he sometimes kicks in his sleep. La’Toya suffered with several complications throughout her pregnancy which led Zhoie to have some issues as well. There were multiple things that were overlooked by the doctors, but mommy & daddy were determined to do all they could to have a successful pregnancy. Zhoie was a fighter & a force to be reckoned with. As she grew in gestational age, she made it known that she was on the scene by shooting pains when she wanted mommy to eat & keeping her up at night, bouncing around when daddy would talk to her, hitting mommy’s belly when auntie LaShunda would yell “Niecey-Pooh,” or hearing uncle Jamaal joking on mommy, hearing her MiMi Marilyn (grandma) on speaker phone, touching mommy’s hand through her belly as she would talk, sing, & read to her, & even kicking when she knew the doctors were hurting mommy, etc.… Although mommy was sick, Zhoie appeared to be fine until she wasn’t. At 19 weeks & 4 days, it was made known that Zhoie was suffering from issues with her brain & heart. Emergency prenatal visits were in the works, but as time went by things were happening a little too fast yet a little too late. At 20 weeks & 6 days, Zhoie became “Our Angel Baby” after 1 hour & 9 minutes. Zhoie was born alive & as her heart was beating, she fought for her “LIFE,” in the hands of her mother & as devastating as it was; mommy begged for the doctors/nurses to help save Zhoie. They kept saying “she’s too small & there’s nothing we can do; if we tried anything it would just hurt her more.” It seemed the world stopped & resumed at a slow yet steady pace as Zhoie drifted off to take her rest in the hands of her father. Zhoie made an impact on so many that didn't even know her, yet she managed to touch so many hearts with her story & she is loved like none other. Zhoie's name & memory will live on as RaShad & La'Toya see fit to honor her in the best way throughout their remaining lifespans.

Zhoie is survived by her parents RaShad & La’Toya Smith, grandparents Marilyn Armstrong Powell & Jessie Powell, Jr., Carolyn Smith & Eddie Vaughans, Jr., (godparents) auntie LaShunda Patrice & uncle Mitchell Jamaal Hutchinson, uncles Marcus Smith & Lexie Shaw, Jr., god grandparents Roosevelt Lamar III & Chantal Bradley, god uncles Jasond Bradley & Javon Bradley, god aunties Alyssa Marie Sanders & Keriana Grace Bradley, secondary god mother Neater Latrice Jones, god sister Zariah K’Marie La’Trice Jones & a host of other relatives. Zhoie is preceded in death by her cousin Jaylen Amari Hutchinson, uncle Dancell Armstrong-Powell, auntie DeAndrea Shatae Lewis, great-grands John Ray & Claudie Mae (McDonald) Armstrong, Jessie, Sr. & Elizabeth Bell (McCarter) Powell & a host of other relatives.