Celebrating

Barbara Robbie Smith

May 25, 1946 - February 14, 2015

________________________________________________________________________________________________

March 7, 2015

When I dare to be powerful - to use my strength in service

of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.
- Audre Lorde

Celebrating

Barbara Robbie Smith

March 7, 2015
First Unitarian Church
5650 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Chicago, IL
______________________________________

PROCESSIONAL
Drum Divas
WELCOME
Marguerite Griffin
Program Moderator
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 100
Flecia Thomas
Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me
June Gearon
REMARKS/REFLECTIONS
A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou
Crystal J. Johnson
Frances M.
M Olayioye & Risi Shepard
Mary King
Paulette Dukes & Onetta Williams
Phoenix Matthews
Marlon Fortineaux
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
Glory, Glory
Lucy Smith
Lu
OBITUARY
(Please read silently.)
EULOGY
Reverend Minnie Robinson
Christina Smith
Throw It Away
Lucy Smith
Lu
CLOSING
Marguerite Griffin

Barbara Robbie Marie Smith

- A Life Well Lived When you reflect on Barbara Robbie Smiths life, it is safe to say she enjoyed a life well lived. Whether it was her work as
a community activist, an accounting professional, a real estate agent, a friend, a mom, or a wife, Barbara was known for her
perseverance, strength, compassion, sense of fun and integrity.
Barbaras love for and engagement with the world around her spanned throughout her life. She was loved for her generosity, compassion, open heart, and warm spirit. Although, she gave birth to only one daughter, there is a community of
women for whom she became an other mother or grandmother.
As a community activist and leader, Barbara took an active part in the initiation and growth of important organizations in
the LGBT community. She was a founding board member of Affinity Community Services, as well as a founding member of
both 40 Plus and Trailblazers within Affinity. She was the former newsletter editor and an organizer of Women of All Colors
and Cultures Together. She was also inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2002 as a founding board
member with other members of Affinity.
In recent years, she was increasingly interested in state and national politics. In 2012, she traveled to Wisconsin, where she
campaigned for President Obama and Senator Tammy Baldwin. She attended the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington (DC) in August of 2013, and the March on Springfield (IL) for Marriage Equality in the fall of 2013, where she lobbied state officials. She participated in countless parades for LGBT equality, including a Bud Billiken Parade and Chicago
Pride Parades, most recently with AARP.
For more than twenty years, Barbara worked in accounting and bookkeeping. In addition to working for Fortineaux and Associates, she advised nonprofit organizations, including Affinity Community Services and the Chicago Abortion Fund, along
with a few private clients, including her family at Flowers Unlimited.

Ive learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou

She began a second career in real estate in 2002 and was a member of The National Realtors Association. She worked across
many communities as a licensed real estate agent, first with Century 21 and within the Betts Realty Group. Many know
someone who enjoyed her excellent representation.
Barbara was an avid animal lover and member of ASPCA, and a photographer who loved to draw, She also loved to travel,
and New York was her favorite city. Barbaras other interests included theatre, mentoring, tutoring, and golfing.
A native
n
of Chicago, she was born Barbara Marie Edwards in 1946 to her parents, Ruth M. Edwards and Forrest Pickens.
The oldest of three sisters, she grew up largely on Chicagos south side.
Barbara attended Oakenwald and Doolittle Elementary, graduated from Forestville North. and also attended Hyde Park
High School. She later graduated from Harold Washington College where she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor
Society, and then continued onto Chicago State University, where she received her bachelors degree.
Barbara married
ma
George Barnell Smith in 1962. From this marriage she gave birth to her daughter Christina Smith. On
October 18, 2014, she married her long-time partner Phyllis Johnson. Her survivors include: her wife, Phyllis; her daughter, Christina; her sister, Frances Marian; her nieces and nephews, Tanya, Regina, Ramon, Tahia, and Risi; her great-nieces
and nephews, Christopher, Carl, Tiffany, Johnae, Jaquilla, John, Brandonisha, Arianna, Ramon Jr., Kameron, Amara, Khrishna, Rahshaan, Khalid, Rashid, Kemari, Tatiana, Rashawn Jaymon, Nekiya, Macario, Keyjuan, and Kingston. Robbie was pre
ceded in death by her parents, Ruth M. Edwards and Forrest Pickens; her sister, Daisy Joanne Carr; and her nephews, Chad
and Corey Edwards.
As one can easily see, Barbara Robbie Smith led an extraordinary life of activism, compassion and leadership in action. It
has been said that Leaders become great not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.
Barbara demonstrated this leadership throughout her life, and her radical spirit inspired and influenced all who knew her.

With Gratitude
The Smith and Johnson families are deeply grateful for the outpouring of love,
kindness and consolation during this difficult time.
Thank you for your contribution to this wonderful celebration of Robbies life.
We are on a journey of finding comfort and peace with your continued support.
Please consider making a donation in Robbie's memory to Affinity
Community Services (www.affinty95.org). We want to continue her important
Com
advocacy work and support of senior services.

"I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about
the I-tried-to-do. I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd
forgive myself if I didn't try."
-Nikki Giovanni