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This Book of Memories memorial website is designed to be a permanent tribute paying tribute to the life and memory of Irvin Smith. It allows family and friends a place to re-visit, interact with each other, share and enhance this tribute for future generations. We are both pleased and proud to provide the Book of Memories to the families of our community.

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Blessed to have known you. <3

This is a letter I wrote to my sweet Aunty Georgia but I'm sharing it here in the hopes that it'll bring comfort to all my family down south! 

To my dearest and sweetest Aunty Georgia,
How I wish I could be there to hug you. 
Heaven gained the most beautiful angel the other day, and I hope that brings you comfort that he is in a place more amazing than any of us can imagine - and watching over us with Uncle Barron.  
It is hard to put into words how much you both mean to me- so I wrote you a prayer.
 
Dear Lord,
I want to thank you for blessing my life with my dear Uncle Irv and Aunty Georgia. I am so thankful for the time that I did get to spend with them. While our visits always went by too fast (time flies when you’re having fun) I will always cherish all the memories I made with them and take the lessons they taught with me for the rest of my life. 
 
The first lesson they taught me that helped shape who I am today is to live lightheartedly in the moment and positively. One of my most favorite memories is from the first time we came to visit Uncle Irv and Aunty Georgia. Uncle Irv had asked me if I wanted to know the family secret to peach iced tea. Excitedly I said yes and he pulled a crystal light iced tea packet out of his pantry. How that made my whole family laugh. I’m actually very thankful that it was something I could buy from a store because every time I drink it- it reminds me of my wonderful family in the south. My family and I LOVED all their jokes they had together and still quote them to this day. “You’re not as dumb as you look”, etc.  
 
They also gave me my nickname that people still use today too- Sweet Elyse. Its amazing how in such seemingly hard and awkward time I was going through - two people I was just getting to know could make me feel so beautiful, valued, and at home. On the last trip I had seen my sweet Uncle Irv I had asked him how he could be so happy and positive all the time. He told me that it’s easy since someone has always got it worse than you. It was amazing to see such a good human being at work. Uncle Irv would give everyone the time of day and made them feel valued - something rare in today’s busy world. On our first trip we were picking up food from the Varsity and we had a black male server who probably hadn’t had anyone look him in the eye that day. Then we pull up and Uncle Irv with his friendly smile asked the server how his day was and joked around with him. The kindness and generosity Uncle Irv showed my own family, as well as strangers speaks to the amazing and one of a kind person you blessed our lives with.  
 
Even now when any of us run into obstacles in life and get frustrated we always say “What would Uncle Irv do?” in the same way someone would say “what would Jesus do?”
 
Uncle Irv was a true southern gentleman and such an amazing role model for everyone in my family. I strive to be more like him and deal with adversity like he would everyday because  if I can impact someone’s life in the way he did mine - I know that he will be proud and will be giving me a thumbs up from heaven. 
 
They taught me the true meaning of family. They took my family in so generously and made us all feel special and valued. It was so wonderful to see my mom with the mom and dad figures she never had. I thank you for blessing our lives with  Uncle Irv and Aunty Georgia because they helped my mom to let go of her past and to focus on the present and the people who really matter.  It was always awesome when my family would spend time with Uncle Irv and Aunty Georgia because they are the type of people who bring out the best in others and I loved who my family became when we were around them. They were both always there for us, so please comfort Aunty Georgia and make her feel loved and supported during this time. Please let her know that she will always have a family up north that would do ANYTHING for her and her wonderful family. 
 
 
The last and most important lesson they taught me is meaning of true love. Even by just watching Uncle Irv and Aunty Georgia together- You could tell that the puppy love that you get when you first fall in love with someone never has to die  - and can only grow stronger. I loved being around them: seeing how often they laughed together, hearing their cute pet names like doodle bug and knowing from the way they acted around each other- that they cared for each other very deeply. They would do anything for each other. They had the type of love that little girls dream of having when they meet their Prince  Charming. Aunty Georgia was Uncle Irv’s queen, and he her King. 
 
Uncle Irv left the world a much more beautiful place than he had found it. Although the pain of not having my dear Uncle Irv here stings, please help us to focus on the amazing memories we all shared with him and celebrate his amazing life. Please help us to do this because I know thats what he would want us to do. I hope that knowing Uncle Irv is with you and Uncle Barron - in a place more beautiful than any of us can imagine -  brings comfort to all those who yearn to give him one last hug. I feel very lucky to have known a man that is a role model  and hero for so many. It’s not a goodbye, its a see you later.
 
I love you with all my heart Aunty Georgia. I hope to see you soon. Love always, Elyse xox
 
Posted by Elyse David
Wednesday October 28, 2015 at 10:26 pm
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