Ava Delores Smith, 89, of Jackson, KY, passed away on May 15, 2023, at the Saint Joseph Hospital in London, KY following a brief illness.

Ava, the eldest of 5 children, was born on January 13, 1934 to Arthur Ralph and Marian E. Hart Smith in Remus, Michigan. After Ava graduated from Mt. Carmel High School (Jackson, KY) in 1953, she pursued ministerial studies at Kentucky Mountain Bible Institute (now Kentucky Mountain Bible College), graduating in 1956. She went on to study at Olivet Nazarene College (now Olivet Nazarene University) and Central Michigan University, graduating from CMU with a B.A.A. in School Librarianship, minoring in English. She would later pursue further studies at Morehead State University.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Ava responded to God’s calling and dedicated her life to serving within the Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association. Over the years, she served as both a teacher and librarian at Mt. Carmel High School and Kentucky Mountain Bible College. Ava participated in organizations such as the Association of Christian Librarians and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, demonstrating her commitment to her faith and the pursuit of knowledge.

From the late 1990s through recent years, Ava, although semi-retired, continued to play an active role in the KMHA’s endeavors, contributing her skills in secretarial and library work.
Ava connected with the students of Kentucky Mountain Bible College by warmly welcoming incoming freshmen by name and offering them her unwavering prayer support. Ava was recognized as a woman of God, frequently sharing her personal testimony of God’s transformative power and sanctifying grace in her life. Her testimonies often included Bible verses, and one that particularly resonated with her was Psalm 16:6, which she frequently quoted: “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

Ava was preceded in death by her parents, one sister, Dorellen ’76 (David) Belleau, and a brother and sister-in-law, Edward ’57 & Vera (Warren ’57) Smith. She is survived by two sisters, Genevieve ’58 (Lewis) Weeber of Fremont, Michigan, and Eunice ’64 (William ’64) Lockwood of Grimstead, Virginia, as well as a brother-in-law, David Belleau of Remus, Michigan. Ava also leaves behind 3 nieces, 4 nephews, and a host of friends.

A Celebration of Life service honoring Ava will take place at the Helen Mathews Luce Chapel on the campus of Kentucky Mountain Bible College on Friday, June 9, 2023, starting at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Tom Lorimer, pastor of Five Mile Community Church and Dr. Robert D. Pocai, president of Kentucky Mountain Bible College, will be officiating the service. The interment will be held at the Lawson Cemetery in Jackson, KY. The arrangements are being handled by the compassionate team at Deaton Funeral Home of Jackson, KY.