Alice Smith

Alice Aileen Wilks Smith of Chester, VA passed away Sunday, June 12, 2011. She was born May 9, 1922 on a rice farm in Prairie County, Arkansas to Lewis and Ruth Gray Wilks. Alice kept the values learned in early life â?? honesty, thrift and hard work. Her husband, Roger C. Smith, whom she met while working in the District of Columbia during WWII, was an attorney and died in 1961. Alice was an artist, community activist, horseback rider in her 70â??s, world traveler, seamstress, member of the Chester Joy Singers, a Red Hatter, and a member of the local AARP. She was a wonderful mother who inspired and supported her children. With her two daughters, she visited Togo, West Africa and Papua, New Guinea. In 1995 she made a container ship voyage from Norfolk, VA to Australia and back passing through the Panama Canal along the way. She was a champion second-hand shopper and a dedicated recycler. She kept her mind active by reading, doing crossword puzzles and balancing her checkbook every month. She loved her house and yard. Alice used her patio as a vantage point to watch and identify the birds at the bird feeder. She was eagerly awaiting the first homegrown tomatoes of the season. Alice is survived by her three children, Roger C. Smith, Jr. of Colonial Heights, Terry S. Hensley and husband, Richard of Culpeper, and Deborah D. Wildsmith and husband, Andrew Collins of Sydney, Australia; her granddaughters, Dena S. Pelter and husband, Keith of Chester, and Christy J. Hensley of Mechanicsville; grandson, Alexander J. Lassell of Colonial Heights; two great granddaughters, Melissa H. Adams and husband, David of Powhatan and Valorie K. Derise of Fredericksburg; great-grandsons, David Derise of Fredericksburg and Ethan Adams of Powhatan; her brother, James L. Wilks and wife, Anita of Texas; her sister, Frances W. Waller of Kansas; and cousin, Gwen Reddoch and husband David of Arkansas. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Florence F. Wilks and Pauline I. Wilks; brothers, Earl A. and Edwards E. Wilks; and a granddaughter, Valorie H. Derise. In 1966, the family moved from Falls Church, VA to Madison County where she was employed by the Town of Culpeper Police Department. She later moved to Arkansas to care for her mother. She returned to Virginia where she worked as a dispatcher/secretary for RTS Construction Company, Inc. until her retirement. Funeral services will take place Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. with a visitation one hour prior in the Chester Chapel of J. T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home. Interment will follow at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Shepherdâ??s Center of Chesterfield, 6800 Lucy Corr Court, Chesterfield Court House, VA 23832. Condolences to the family may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .