Leona Wallace Smith

She was born September 18, 1931, to John and Beulah Harris in Kansas City, Missouri. During the first week of life her dad nicknamed her "Pepper" because her skin turned red like a pepper when she cried. She was a blessing to her parents and her three brothers, Olie, Billy and Paul (whom she raised from the age of 11, when their mom died).

Leona was a child during the Great Depression and hard times taught her how to stretch a dollar. She became a wife during her teen years (1946) and two years later in June of 1948 she became a mother to her first-born daughter, Marcia (1948-2002), followed by Debbra (1950), Lanita (1953), Angela (1957), Joy (1960) and Wally (1961-2023). The 1950's and 1960's were happy, yet challenging years because money was scarce. However, her family never went hungry. She could make government cheese and other commodities taste like a 5-star restaurant.

Every summer her goal was to can 100 quarts of delicious fruits and vegetables. During the winter months, mouth-watering berry, peach, cherry, apple, and pear desserts would be served at the end of every meal. She was a phenomenal cook!

Leona served the Lord with gladness and was superb Sunday School teacher, who gave all she could in teaching her students about the love of God! She was not an ordained minister, but she ministered by giving her time, her money, her talents, and counseling wisdom to those who came her way. It was not unheard of her to take bags of groceries and other necessities to her neighbors in need. Sister Wallace was known for her empathetic spirit!

Her first job outside of the church in Portland was teaching at Head Start close by her home at 327 N. Skidmore St. Years later, she taught at her beloved Jefferson High School, where she was a Community Agent. She retired from Jeff after nearly 20 years of employment.

When Leona became a single parent, she worked 3 part-time jobs at Lloyd Center Nordstroms, Portland Community College Bookstore, and her favorite job was cooking and baking alongside her neighbor, Lou Parker, who owned the Tropicana Restaurant on Williams Avenue. But no matter how many jobs she worked, raising her children was her top priority.

Leona was a preacher's wife twice, first to Rev. Wendell Wallace (Maranatha Church, 1946-1973) and then to Rev. Russell Smith (Berean Baptist Church, 1978-1995). She was the "Wind Beneath both of Their Wings". In her marriage to Rev. Smith, she became the stepmom to his four sons, and he became a nurturing dad to her five daughters and son. With the 10 kids blended together as one family, they were often referred to as a "Black Brady Bunch".

Leona did not like the name stepmom. She just wanted to be mom to David, Jim, Mark and Steve, and she loved them along with her naturally born children to the very end of her life. She also adored all her nieces and nephews, her chosen sister, Ola Huntley (who she met at 15 years of age), and many friends, brothers and sisters in Christ from the congregations of Albina's first African American Church of God (Otis and Johnnie Mae Brown, pastors), Metropolitan and Beech Street Church of God, Maranatha Evangelistic Center, Berean Baptist, Errol Heights Baptist, Vancouver Avenue Baptist and New Song Church. One of her favorite sayings was, "Tell the truth, and stay in church". All of her life she did just that, until the last months when she was too weak to attend.

One of her favorite names was Granny. Her face lit up when her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren were in her presence. She was "Granny" to many others as well. God blessed her with a royal lineage, because after all, she was a QUEEN while living on earth!