“I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Mrs. Geneva Smith Gray departed this life on Nov. 24, 2016, at the Resthaven Living Center in Bogalusa, at the age of 91.

Visitation will be held Friday, Dec. 2, at the chapel of Crain and Sons Funeral Home in Bogalusa from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

The funeral service will be held Saturday, Dec. 3, at Tree of Life Baptist Church, located at 20402 Tree of Life Road in Bogalusa, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Lorenzo Magee, pastor, officiating.

Interment will follow in Bogalusa Cemetery.

Crain and Sons Funeral Home of Bogalusa is in charge of arrangements.

Sign the guestbook online at www.crainandsons.com.

Geneva was preceded in death by her husband, Leslie Gray. She was also preceded in death by her three brothers, Thomas, Raymond and Wilbert. Three of her sons, David, Willie and Joseph Matthews, all preceded her in death.

She leaves to cherish her memories: her children, Robert Smith (Gonzie) of Willard, N.C., Juanita Jackson of Tacoma, Wash., and Ellarene Cooper of Spartanburg, S.C.; her daughters, Edna Harris (Ike Sr.) of Baton Rouge, Aldonia L. Hargrove of Birmingham, Ala., .Earnest Smith (Joyce) of Slidell, Anthony Smith of Bogalusa, Leander Smith (Lorraine) of Jacksonville, Fla., Elleanor Montgomery (George Sr.) of Charlotte, N.C., and Ada Davis (Andrew) of Carriere, Miss. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, and a host of great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives, church family and friends.

Sunrise for Geneva Smith Gray came on Jan. 30, 1925. She was born to the parents of Ernest and Willie Mae Smith, and had seven siblings.

Geneva spent her life as a lifelong resident of Bogalusa, and was married to the love of her life, Leslie Gray, for 44 years of marriage, until his transition on May 22, 2003. Geneva enjoyed life and if you knew her you would describe her as person who was hilarious, snappy, witty, a tireless worker and someone who would always keep you laughing.

She worked as an X-ray technician at Bogalusa Medical Center, and along with her husband Leslie, owned and operated a convenience store within their neighborhood for many years.