Evangelist Missionary Rebecca Arlet Smith, 73, of Rison, Arkansas, transitioned to eternal rest on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Chi-St. Vincent Hospital in Little Rock.
Born on September 17, 1952, in Rison, Rebecca was the daughter of the late L.C. Smith and Bennie Lee Smith.
She accepted Christ and was baptized at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Rison. She began her education in Rison’s Lanwood School system, was part of the pivotal school integration efforts in her community, and proudly graduated from Rison High School in the Class of 1970.
Missionary Smith dedicated her professional career to the care of others, spending decades nursing and advocating for the elderly in Cleveland County as a certified caregiver with the Area Agency on Aging.
She was a devoted servant of God and a licensed Evangelist Missionary, serving faithfully for over 34 years at Kedron Church of God in Christ. Licensed as an Evangelist Missionary on June 13, 2007, she served as the Home & Foreign Mission Teacher and was a member of the Mother’s Board. Her generous spirit extended to the community through simple acts of kindness, hospitality, and prayer.
For over 50 years, she was a fixture at the Creed Deer camp, where she fed five generations of friends and "adopted" family.
She was featured in the Cleveland County Herald as one of the County’s Finest Cooks sharing a few of her treasured recipes a few decades ago.
Survivors include her three children, Mary Shernell Smith, Adrain Torrance Smith, and Billy Ray Griddine, Jr.; three grandchildren, Hayden Brunson Smith, Miles Alexander Xavier Smith, and Brayson Ray Ahmad Griddine; six siblings; and a host of extended family and friends.
Services were held last week. A public visitation was held on Friday, April 3, at Kedron Church of God in Christ, 480 Frye Rd, Rison. The funeral service followed on Saturday, April 4, at Rison Baptist Church, 300 E Magnolia St, Rison, with Superintendent Arthur Ray Sledge delivering the Eulogy. Interment was at Humble Hope Cemetery.
The City of Pine Bluff extended a Proclamation to the Smith Family proclaiming Saturday, April 4, as Missionary Rebecca Smith Day for her dedication of service to the Southeast Arkansas community.