To the beloved friends and family of Mary Anna Smith, it is with deep sadness that I write to inform everyone of Mary's passing on March 28th, 2023, after a long battle with cancer. It was a beautiful day on March 4th, 1948 when Mary Anna Smith was born in Long Beach, California to Ivan Sylvester Berry and Polly Anna Wofford. She was a true Southern Californian girl, as she spent most of her life here with friends and family while also working as a hairdresser for nearly 40 years. Mary was a cherished friend and devoted family member who was loved by many and her passing is a great loss to us all. She is survived by her four siblings, Ivan Berry, Garron Edgington, Linda Cusick, and Shirley Lebeck. Let us remember Mary not with sadness, but with gratitude for the time we were privileged to spend with her. May we honor her memory by carrying her spirit of love, kindness, and resilience with us always. Rest in peace, Mary Anna Smith. Well sis you asked me to write something about Mary ………Hmmmmmmm! My earliest memories were when she would babysit me and hold me. I would run my fingers through her hair, to me it felt like silk!!! (To this very day I have a thing about silk…. Don’t judge me) I always felt, when I was with Mary, I was safe. To say my big sister had an easy life would be a lie. She lost a son when Shadrack was just two years old, to drowning. A tragedy she would never recover from, however, she soldiered on through life. I think she was an impressionable person. The best impression that she impressed upon me was her love of GOD!!! She was unwavering in her faith, believe me, she has been tested throughout her life. Her battle with Cancer showed grace that none of us will ever know. When I would call her she would say I’m tired, no complaint of pain or discomfort. Whether you realize or not you were in the presence of GRACE! Know this, my brothers and sisters; think what you will of her…… She embodied humility, kindness, and love. We as a people are to quick judge weakness. Many think when our savior came he was weak. That can’t be anything further from the truth. The strength and sacrifice displayed were monumental !!!! Our sister left this world with the grace of an angel. Rest in peace my sister with our creator. I have a question for GOD that has puzzled me all my life, why are avocado pits so big, and why are Giraffe's necks so long? It breaks me to write this. I have to let go of the best among us… 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must stand before Christ to be judged, we will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Our sister stands in judgment……. She is welcomed with open arms.