Virg "School Boy" Smith

SMITH, Mr. Virg “School Boy” - age 95, passed away, Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Oakland. Family hour 10:30 AM Saturday, January 6, 2024 at New Springfield Missionary Baptist Church, 124 Prospect St., with Funeral Service commencing immediately at 11:00AM. Pastor William Parker, Jr. Officiating. Interment Perry Mount Park Cemetery, 878 North Perry Street. Friends and pallbearers will assemble 10:30AM at the church Saturday. “School Boy” will lie in state in the Chapel of Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, 268 North Perry Street, and may be viewed Noon - 6:00PM The family will be present to receive friends from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Friday at the funeral home. Virg “Schoolboy” Smith, was born on April 13, 1928, in Yazoo City, Mississippi, to sharecropper parents, Elizabeth Street and Prince Smith. Yazoo City was a small and mostly Black town run by whites. Having grown up in a time and place where racial inequality was the norm, Virg had the importance of church instilled in him early. He’d say that no matter his family’s misfortune, or social standing, when they had nothing, they knew they had the church. In 1946, he made the courageous decision to leave Yazoo City to join his brother, Solomon Chatman, in Pontiac, Michigan, seeking employment with General Motors. After working for two years at GM, Virg was drafted to serve a two-year stint in the Army. He served with the 41st Signal Corps, an all-black battalion, which, for a time, took him to Alabama and Texas. Though he was glad to have his GM job waiting when he returned home, Virg’s military experience taught him the importance of having something of his own. While working for GM, he took side jobs that included cleaning homes for wealthy people. It was there that he was encouraged by a Jewish woman in Bloomfield Hills, MI, to launch a janitorial service. The woman’s husband was a builder who gave him his first cleaning contract. Virg said this venture taught him that God’s favor transcends religion and race. His janitorial service was created so that he could have something of his own, but it became a gateway for the 15 employees he hired to support their families. It would seem he’d done a lot by this point in his life, but it was just his beginning. He was 27. With dedication and hard work, Virg spent more than two decades at General Motors before retiring in 1968. In the early 50s, he began his journey into parenthood after meeting Bessie McKinney. They welcomed a daughter, Tanya McKinney, in 1950. His life evolved through marriage to Martha Lee Sain and eight children were born to them: Michael, Gary, Jovita, Stephannie, Marsha, Keith, Allison, and Dale, before pursuing separate journeys. Virg instilled a strong work ethic in his kids and the next generation, leaving a lasting legacy as many of them now embrace well-earned retirements and new business ventures. After joining New Springfield Missionary Baptist Church almost 25 years ago, he often expressed deep gratitude for the guidance, encouragement, and favor he received - most especially from Pastor Minor and Rev. William Parker, Jr., and close friends Frank Grayer, and Constance ‘Connie’ Simmons. When he was 91, he shared that just as he did as a young boy in Yazoo City, when times got hard, he knew that he could always go to the church, because the church had never left him. For him, it was home. Virg leaves to cherish his memory: Children: Tanya McKinney-Hardiman, Michael (Terra) Smith, Gary (Sonya) Smith, Jovita Smith, Stephannie Smith, Marsha (Donald) McConner, Keith (Ira) Smith, and Allison (Eric) Hanley; Grandchildren: Yahel Dawson, Kahilla McKinney-Stewart, Miaisha Guy, Michael Smith, Jr., Emma Littleton, Darneshia Smith, Jessica (Charles) Penermon, Paul 'Antonio' Martin, Ashley Turner, Isaac Smith, Anthony (Gloria) Smith, Demond (Quenyada) Smith, Latoya Smith, Ashley Meckens, RoNeisha Mullen, RoShaun Smith, Keith Manley, Kourtney Manley, Jerel Smith, Montrel Smith, LaKita Smith, Pierre Taylor, Eric Hanley, II., Erica Hanley, Terrell Hanley, Doerrell Hanley and a host of great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, relatives and friends. Virg was preceded in death by his son Dale Smith; parents Elizabeth Stuckey-Street and Prince Smith; siblings, Solomon Chatman, Edward Greer, Grant Smith, Erma Kitchen, and Lee Smith. At the age of 95, he has left an unforgettable mark on our hearts and a legacy of resilience, faith, and community. As we mourn his passing, let us remember and celebrate a life well-lived, marked by unwavering determination, and an unceasing commitment to family.

Virg "School Boy" Smith

April 13, 1928 - December 27, 2023