Sudie M. Smith

In 2017, Sudie M. Smith’s family launched the Sudie M. Smith Foundation, Inc.

Sudie M. Smith was born in Jackson, Mississippi on August 13, 1925.   As a child, she attended Piney Woods School and she loved to dance.  She attended Rock Star Missionary Baptist Church.   Despite her poor and humble beginning, she overcame issues related to social injustices of the time, including being a woman and being black.   She lived through The Great Depression and segregation as a child, and she lacked healthcare during her early life.  Yet, she overcame these hardships and found a way to improve her circumstances.

Sudie moved to Solano County with her family in 1962.  Sudie was the mother of eight children, which drove a lot of her activity in the community.   She participated in many civic groups in Fairfield and Suisun.  She was a Little League Booster, a member of the Grandparents Club, active with the Boy Scouts and a member of the PTA.  She was an avid Oakland A’s fan and a fan of the New York Giants.  She loved to read homemaking magazines, romance magazines and doing crafts.  She was an active member at both, First Baptist Church and Mount Calvary Church.

Sudie had matchless skills in the kitchen, especially when she was preparing soul food feasts for her large family, friends and neighbors for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions.   Not only did she love hosting, she would bake and decorate the cakes, all while displaying her sunny disposition and beautiful smile.  She was a lady that chose to enjoy life by sharing the best of herself with others.

Sudie went to work in 1965 at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District as a food service worker.  Most of her history with the school district was spent at Armijo High School, where most of her children attended high school.  She retired after 24 years in 1989.   After retirement, she enjoyed more time with her family and activities, and she took several cross country trips.

A highlight of Sudie’s life was her surprise 70^th Birthday Party.  It was a priceless event and she was truly surprised.  Her long term friends and extended family was in attendance, along with all of her children and her 17 grandchildren.

Shortly after her 70^th birthday a number of health issues surfaced.  Sudie eventually needed around the clock care that could no longer be managed at home.     There was a lot of dedicated health care professionals involved with her rehabilitation and convalescence.    It was at this point the family realized how important long term health care and medicine is at every stage of life, and especially for seniors.

At the time of her death on June 18, 1997, Sudie M. Smith had lived a long and full life and her family had grown to include great grandchildren.   Also, she has great grandchildren that have attended Armijo High School.  Family is legacy and in addition to the four generations that are still going and growing, Sudie M. Smith taught us all how to be overcomers and how to be dedicated and responsible to the health and welfare of others.  She was a giving and caring person and there is no doubt, she is resting in perfect peace.

Since 1997, Sudie M. Smith’s family has bestowed a memorial scholarship in her honor through the Assist-A-Grad Scholarship Program to an Armijo High School student that is  pursuing a career in health care or medicine.  In 2017, the family launched the Sudie M. Smith Foundation, Inc. in order to continue this scholarship and expand it in her honor.