Obituary of Vilma I Smith

Vilma was born in Kingston, Jamaica on September 15, 1944 to David and Retinella Smith, who have both preceded her in death. She was the youngest of four daughters, and was affectionately known to family and close friends as “Gigi.” She maintained a very close relationship with her three older sisters, all of whom have preceded her in death. Vilma passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 23, 2019.

Vilma’s pride and joy were her two devoted children, Dion and Lorraine, with whom she maintained an exceedingly close relationship and cherished every minute spent with them. She genuinely enjoyed spending time pampering them, showering them with love and affection during their childhood and as adults. She was the consummate mother, as well as a doting, loving and kind grandmother to her five grandchildren, Darren, Derek, Chelsea, Cameron and Christopher.

Vilma emigrated from Jamaica to London, England in 1960 at the age of 16 to join two of her sisters and other family members, as well as to pursue educational and career opportunities. While living in London, she attended and graduated from the London Polytechnic Trade School, where she studied dress making and fashion design. She later mastered the art of dressmaking, and worked professionally as a seamstress for several years in Philadelphia, PA, where she settled and called home after having returned from a relatively brief time of living in her beloved Jamaica.

After her retirement, Vilma worked as an entrepreneur, designing women apparel such as wedding and other formal gowns, business suits, winter coats and matching hats, as well as a myriad of other custom made women clothing and accessories. She was especially proud of having her name as her own clothing label, adorned on every one of her creations.

Vilma was a devout Jehovah’s Witness; she was baptized in 1988, and became a member of the Mount Airy congregation at her local Kingdom Hall in Philadelphia. She enjoyed attending weekly meetings at the Kingdom Hall, her time in the field service ministry, and especially the time spent as a full-time pioneer. She often described herself as a “devoted servant of Jehovah.”

Vilma was also an amazing cook and baker, having established a home based cake business, specializing in wedding and anniversary cakes, which she decorated with the most intricate designs. Additionally, Vilma worked as a sewing and pattern making/cutting instructor at a local Salvation Army community center in Philadelphia, where she taught mostly senior citizens how to sew, as well as how to operate various sewing machines. She regarded those years among her most treasured professional accomplishments.

Vilma opened her heart and home to family and friends; her home was a place of love and refuge.

Vilma enjoyed entertaining friends at her home and had great pleasure in cooking and introducing them to authentic Jamaican cuisine, while listening to her favorite musical artists such as Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, and Dennis Brown to name a few. She also had a love and appreciation for classic movies, featuring Hollywood stars such as Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Davis, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Gregory Peck, Doris Day, Paul Newman, Harry Belafonte, and especially, Sidney Poitier.

Vilma took pride in baking, and cooking for her children, grandchildren, as well as her nieces and nephews. One of the many ways she expressed her love was in sewing pajamas for her grandchildren. She will be affectionately remembered for having fulfilled a promise of sewing 7 pairs of pajamas for each of her grandchildren, one for every day of the week, each customized with fabric displaying their favorite Disney, Nickelodeon and/or Cartoon Network characters. Vilma had a sweet tooth; you could count on her for always having candy and ice cream, which she would sneak and give to her grandchildren, even when their parents protested.

Vilma enjoyed travelling, especially to her native Jamaica, as well as to the United Kingdom, and Canada. She absolutely loved spending time with her extended family, especially nieces and nephews, many of whom regarded her as a second mom. She was known to be the glue of the family, keeping in touch with everyone with frequent phone calls (and letters), no matter the geographical distance and time zone that separated them.

Vilma leaves to cherish her memories, son, Dion Smith; daughter, Lorraine James (Valentine); grandchildren, Darren Smith, Derek Smith, Chelsea James, Cameron James, and Christopher James; nieces, Patricia, Marcia, Susan, Billie-Jean; nephew, David; lifelong friend, Pamela, adopted niece, Beverly, as well as a host of other nieces, nephews, and friends.