Rev. Iola Smith was the daughter of the late John & Pearl Anderson of Hanover, VA. She was the eleventh of eleven children. She was married to the Late Rev. Sgt. Frederick J Smith (Sgt. US Army) for 54 years. They were the parents of Brendalin Cotman (Forrest Cotman), Augusta Prince (Late Rev. Jonathan Prince), Renee Greene (retired Sgt. Kevin Green), Sherry Jackson (Corey Jackson), and Ricky Smith. Rev. Smith was a grandmother of ten, a great-grandmother of thirteen and had a host of nieces and nephews. She graduated from John M Gandy High School of Ashland, Va. Mrs. Smith also had an Associate degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Lynchburg, and also studied at the Fredericksburg Bible Institute of Virginia. She was a retired Associate of the Internal Revenue Service & St. Joseph Villa, both of which she worked for numerous years.

Rev. Iola Smith was a true believer in Jesus Christ, and was awarded in 1982 for faithful service to Hanover & Caroline County as a church and Community Leader by Attorney James Tate, Rev. Rufus Atkins, and Donald White. She received her call to ministry on May 4, 1986 and has been involved in many areas of service at St. James Baptist Church. She was a devoted member of the Senior Choir, served as the Secretary of the Usher Board, presided as President of the Pastor’s Aide Committee and served 30 years as Church Clerk. Rev. Smith also taught Sunday school for 25 years. More recently, she served as the President of St. James Baptist Church Missionary.

Rev Iola Smith served as an Associate minister of St. James Baptist Church where she received her license and was ordained to preach the gospel. She frequently acknowledged, “There is much needed to help save a dying world and that the love of God is a vital avenue on which to rescue it.”