I had only seen Ginger Smith, a woman with red hair, one time: when she was rolling a garbage container to the roadside where Barbara, my wife, and I were walking. We said, “Hello.” We never really met her. Ginger lived in a mobile home behind the house to the left of our residence. She lived there with Ms. Loretta (her mother), and Ginger’s red-headed daughter, Kylie, 13. A firetruck and a county patrol car arrived at their home shortly after dark on Sunday night, April 3, 2022.
That Sunday night, Ginger, died. The next day, they called Kylie, who was being treated in Tennessee for health issues, about her mother’s death. She took it hard, they say. Vickie, our neighbor across the way, keeps up with community happenings, and she informed us. Vickie stays in touch with Loretta. After Ginger’s death, Loretta went to stay with Ginger’s 20-something daughter, Kaitlynn, in Travelers Rest, SC.
Strangely, a day after we learned of Ginger’s death, I looked on Facebook to view part of the Sunday service from the O’Neal Church of God located in our neighborhood. At 40 minutes into the program, as the pastor started his message, I saw the back of Ginger’s head as she stumbled to the altar. The pastor said, “Someone come pray with Ginger; she often has these health issues.” Ginger was lying there (out of my video sight), and several ladies and church “first responders” gathered around. They called an ambulance. The hospital released Ginger, but she died that night. The church held the memorial service on Saturday, with no charge to the family.
The Memorial Service for Ms. Ginger Smith at the O’neal Church of God, 3794 Berry Mill Rd, Greer, SC 29651:
On Sat., April 9, 2022, we drove to the O’Neal Church of God, just south of Blue Ridge High School in rural, upper Greenville County, SC, about two blocks distance from our house. We attended the 3:00 p.m. memorial service for Ms. Ginger Smith, our late neighbor whose body was cremated. The weather was cool and cloudy but no rain fell. Our neighbor, Vickie, and her granddaughter, Whitley, 15, rode with us.
Kylie, 13, a petite daughter of the deceased, greeted people at the outside front door of the church. Her pregnant, older sister, Kaitlynn, stood by her side, providing comfort to the weeping Kylie. Whitley gave her a hug, and Kylie’s crying increased. They are school friends and live 75 yards from each other. My wife, Barbara, hugged Kylie. I missed speaking to Kylie but spoke to her sister. “I’m sorry for the loss of your mother,” I said. Kaitlynn responded cordially. Ms. Loretta, Ginger’s mother, sat inside the church house with Ginger’s brother, Timmy.
Two sections of pews supplied seating, along with a row of choir seats located behind the pulpit. Near the pulpit sat a piano and a section for band members. A tenor saxophone sat upright on a stand. The open altar in front of the raised stage where the pulpit stood provided a place for gathering. A large photo of Ginger Smith sat on the floor in front of a table-centerpiece located in front of the on-stage pulpit.
Barbara, ahead of me, entered a back pew. I sat in the middle of that pew, next to a tall young man wearing a denim coat with a shoulder patch showing these words: “Enduring Freedom Veteran.” A small metal piercing adorned his left eyebrow. His white-walled haircut sported longer hair on top.
The deceased’s family sat on front rows. A good-sized crowd show up for the funeral, showing support for Ginger’s family. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Tim McConnell, a tall, trim man with gray hair and mustache, began the service.
“We, as a church family, today, miss her dearly,” he said. “Seems impossible to believe — just last Sunday, she was sitting right here where her mother is. … Don’t ever take life for granted. Ginger probably invited a lot of you to church, and you probably gave her excuses, but, today, she got you here. And you’re here, I know, because you love her.”
Pastor McConnell prayed, “I know if she were here, today, she’d be sitting on the front row, smiling.”
Attendees viewed a video of still pictures of Ginger and her family. The video was accompanied by touching songs, including “When I Get Where I’m Going” with these lyrics: “When I get where I’m going … there’ll be only happy tears. I will shed the sins and struggles I have carried all these years. … When I get where I’m going, don’t cry for me down here.”
The pastor said they would always remember Ginger and her red lipstick. He read Psalm 91. “She knew this psalm,” he said. “Ginger trusted in the Lord.
He invited Kylie to the platform and stood behind her as she spoke.
“I didn’t know this day would come this soon,” Kylie said. “On April, 3, 2022, heaven gained a very beautiful angel. My mama … she loved God. The first time she stepped into this church, the very first footstep, she felt God, and she never stopped coming to church after that. … She welcomed Jesus in her heart, and when she did, she was immediately happier. You could see the smile on her face, the joy in her heart, when you saw her smile and pray. … My mom, she loved everyone … And she loved everybody, no matter what they did to her… My mom and my dad have had a lot of troubles before, but I don’t care what anybody tells me, my mom and my dad were soulmates; they were. They loved each other and that never changed. My mom was my best friend. When I found out that my mom was gone, it was like losing the other half of me. She always forgave me, no matter what … She would always understand. I’m gonna miss all our little moments together … She never lost hope … If you still have a mother-figure in your life, or your mom, make sure to keep her close to you. Make sure to tell that you love her and respect her, and let her know how much she means to you, because you never know when her last breath’s gonna be. I learned that the hard way … not being able to fix all the bad things I’ve done to my mom, you know, it’s hard and a lot of regret … You never know when your last moment with someone is gonna be. … I hope my mom forgave me before she left into heaven … .
“If you guys don’t mind, I’d like to say a quick little prayer before I head down: Dear Lord, I thank you for all the moms out there who are taking care of their kids and their babies. And I thank your for my mom and for the time I had with her. I thank you for showing me the smile on her face and the happiness … Thank you for the gift of life. Amen.”
Kaitlynn, Kylie’s older sister, gave Kylie a hug before ascending the stage. She read from Psalm 92 that she saw in her mother’s journal: “God has created me and given me life.”
She read her prepared writing: “Mama, I will always remember your infectious laughter … the way you hugged me, and all my fears and hurt would melt away. And I will cherish the memories, good and bad, in my heart forever. And the most important thing you taught me was to love deeply, endlessly, and without regret … Mommy, you taught me to be kind and forgive easily. You gave me life … you were destined to be my mama. I am forever grateful to have had you. You were my best friend, Mama … You loved me until your last breath. … It’s not goodbye, Mama, but until we meet again, you’re my special angel, and I love you eternally — your Doodlebug.”
Pastor McConnell said Ginger took notes and came to church with a cup (and maybe ice), for the long haul. She sat at the front of the church. He said that Ginger said, “I sit at the front to be close to my pastor and the Word of God. If he wants to step on my toes, there they are.”
“I don’t know her history,” he said. “She said she’d been through a lot of hurt but God forgave her.” Ginger didn’t just want a handshake when greeted — she wanted a hug.”
He said that the Sunday morning Ginger died (on Sunday night), she started to the altar as he began his morning message. She “fell at the altar and had her Bible clutched under her arm.” Church first-responders attended to her and called an ambulance. The hospital examined her, and she returned home and died that night.
“She didn’t have a whole lot in this world, but that didn’t bother Ginger,” he said. “She had a Father who owns it all … Ginger was a daughter of God because she trusted in the blood of Jesus Christ. She said about her family, ‘I forgive them all whether they forgive me or not.’ … We celebrate her home-going, and we’re the ones left with the grief. Don’t be angry with God; be glad for Ginger.”
He read Hebrews 10:25: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
“We need to tell people how much we love them, not tell them what’s wrong with them,” Pastor said. “One day, if you know Jesus, you’re going to see this lovely lady again.”
He read 1 Thessalonians 4:15: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.”
“And the dead in Christ shall rise first,” Pastor said. “Ginger never felt like she was first in this life … but on that day … my comfort is in knowing it’s not a goodbye … Ginger prayed for many of you … she handed me a list of over 40 people she wanted to go to heaven with her.”
He led a “sinner’s prayer” for anyone who wanted to accept Christ.
He mentioned the front seat and asked, “Who will take her spot?”
The church played a recorded song Ginger liked: “In the Sweet Bye and Bye” sung by Dolly Parton.
The assistant pastor led in a prayer.
Psalm 27:4 was read: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”
Pastor McConnell said that the Ladies Ministry “prepared a meal downstairs for the family.” He prayed, “Thank you, Lord … we trust and believe she’s in your presence. In Jesus’ name … .”
*Site for the Facebook showing of the funeral:
https://livestream.com/onealcog/events/10319346/videos/230485473
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