Celebrating the Homegoing of Xavier "Zabo" Smith Jr. 2012

Xavier' Zabo" Smith, Jr., was born to the late Xavier, Sr. "Zab" & Daisy Morris Smith on March 26, 1921. He was educated in the Tangipahoa Parish Public School. He served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. He was a veteran of World War II.

Xavier "Zabo" Smith, Jr. 
Source: Funeral Program
Courtesy of Mrs. Helen Lucky

He was united in Holy Matrimony to the late Helen Leonard Smith and of this union three children was born; Sarah Ann, Diane, and Faye Ruth.  Brother Zabo was converted and baptized at an early age at Grant Chapel AME Church in Amite, Louisiana which was the beginning of many years of dedicated service to God. He served on many auxiliaries of the Church. Bo. Zabo served as a Trustee when the new church was built and many years after.

Bro. Zabo attended upholster school and upon completion, he opened his own upholster shop. Later, he went into the monument work until his health began to fail. Hew as a jack of all trades. He loved fishing, hunting, raising animals and baseball. He also loved gardening and growing vegetables. He enjoyed sharing the vegetables with the community.

To cherish his memory: Two daughters, Sarah Ann of Amite, LA., Faye Ruth, Los Angeles, CA; one sister, Yvonne S. Coleman, Amite; 11 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren; 19 great-great grandchildren; one special grandson Demond McNealthy; one special nephew, Robert Coleman; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends.

He was preserved in death by his wife Helen Leonard Smith, a daughter, Diane Smith Chamber, a son, Ronnie Smith, two grand daughters, Rocquell Smith and Dianna McNealty; his parents Xavier "Zab" & Daisy Morris Smith; three brothers; Glenn, Clarence and Earl Smith; one sister; Dorothy Mae Smith  Himes. 

In Loving Memory of Beverly Ann-Irving-Walls 2018

Beverly Ann Irving-Walls
Source: Funeral Program
Courtesy of Mrs. Helen Lucky

Beverly Ann Irving Walls was born May 17, 1946 to Melvin and Katie Thomas Irving at Lallie Kemp Memorial Hospital in Independence, LA. Beverly attended West Side School in Amite where she graduated in 1964. She continued her education at Southern University where se earned a Bachelors degree in Business.

Affectionally know as "Beverly Ann" she was loved by all of those that knew her. She was great daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. Beverly was know for her kind heart and her fancy l lifestyle. Her family sometimes call here "Mrs. Hollywood." She was definitely the caviar of the family. Shew as raised and until death attended Grants Chapel A.M.E. Zion were she served faithfully. 

Beverly was married to Lynne Walls in the year of 1971. She broke the racial barrier in 1970 when she became the first African American to be employed by the Tangipahoa Assessors Office. She departed there in 1980 then she began to work at the Office of Family Support.

Beverly leaves to cherish here memory her brother, McKinley Irving, Sr. (Barbara) and Norman John Irving both of Amite, La. Although she was the middle child of three, she was raised closely with special cousin that were like sisters and bother, Lizzie Louise Thomas of Baton Rouge, La, Lille Mae Thomas of Los Angeles, California, Carol Walter and Larry Thomas of Amite, La.. She had a host of nieces and nephews that she cared greatly for. Beverly was proceeded in death by her father Melvin Irving and her mother Katie Thomas Irving.

Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite and Nurturing Our Roots Preserving Funeral Programs

Proprietors of Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite
Earl Scott Richardson, Sr. and Dr. Valarie Richardson
Photo Credit: Antoinette Harrell

Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite donated the first collection of funeral programs to Nurturing Our Roots a year ago for preservation. An additional 634 funeral programs was added to the collection on February 8, 2022.  A total of over 1,200 programs was donated in total to the center. Proprietors Dr. Valarie Richardson, Earl Scott Richardson, Jr, and Alex Richardson, CEO help delivery the boxes of records to the center in honor of Black History Month. 

Along with the funeral programs, a volume of 14 hardback books was donated to the center. The volume range from 1970-2008. The following information can be found in the  volume of books: name of the deceased, race, date of entry, residence, funeral charged to, address, order given by, occupation, place of birth, date of death, name of father, mother's maiden name, mother's place of birth, the date of the funeral, service to be held at, clergyman, religion, cause of death, place of burial. This information can be very helpful to genealogists and family historians who are conducting genealogy research. 

Dr. Antoinette Harrell, curator of the collection developed a database for the collection that contains the surname, given name, date of birth, date of death, and place of burial of the deceased before donating the collection to the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. 

Dr. Richardson and Earl had an opportunity to view the collection they donated last year. The owners were very please with the way the collection was preserved. They saw the box containing folders that was labeled by alphabetical order. Whenever I am asked to serve on a funeral service, the first thing I request is a funeral program, said Earl. According to Dr. Valarie Richardson, the project aims to give back to the community.

Funeral Books
Photo Credit: Paulette Sims

Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite Preserving History Once Again By Donating Funeral Programs for Preservation

Photo Credit: Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Just as I was finishing up a long day at my home offie, my phone starting ringing. On the other end of the line was Jo-Ann Frazier, the secretary at Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite. It was obvious to me that if she was calling me so late that evening, it must be something important. As it turned out it was true, she mentioned that the staff had cleaned out the closet of one of their long time staff members, Eddie Brazil, who had recently passed away, and they had discovered boxes and boxes of funeral programs that he had been been holding on for many years.

Eddie was the archivist at Richardson's Funeral Home, so to speak. The quote "Those who plant trees, knowing that only others will enjoy the shade, are public benefactors." Even in death, Eddie continues to give to the community through these rich funeral programs. My only wish is to have had the opportunity to interview him about the collection. I would like to know what motivated him to save the funeral programs?

As a result, they discussed what should be done with the collection in their staff meeting. Jo-Ann suggested they contact me about the collection. I replied that I would take them without hesitation when Earl Richardson, one the proprietors contact me. I advised him that I would consult with Dr. Samuel Hyde, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies about the collection. Following the consultation with Dr. Hyde, he informed me that the department would gladly take the collection for preservation. We both agreed that the collection should stand on its own as the "Richardson Funeral Home Funeral Program Collection" and it was formally established at that point. 

The Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies mission is to preserves and promote the history and cultures of Louisiana's Florida Parish, Southwestern Mississippi. It is customary for African American funeral programs to include extensive information about the deceased and oftentimes it contains a piece of local history as well.  In addition to that, they are donating a volume of funeral book that include the name of the deceased person, date of death, where they will be buried, and other information.

 Funeral Records

Richardson Funeral Home, Inc. Amite is the first funeral home to preserve such a large amount of records, which will prove to be extremely valuable to genealogists, historians, writers, and filmmakers. I would appreciate if other funeral homes in the area took similar measures. It all began with Eddie preserving and collection these funeral programs and he probably did not realize that it would lead to something so great and wonder. Once again, the entire staff is giving back to community through these donations. 

When the collection is placed in my hands, I start reading and analyzing each program carefully and thoroughly. Then I immediately begin sorting them alphabetically. I begin the process of developing a database for the collection before it is donated to the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. Once the center receive it, it processes and posts a finding aid online to the collection. Depending on the complexity of the project, the entire process may take six to seven month to complete.  Genealogist, historians, and organizations and societies that study genealogy will benefit from this collection. Please accept our appreciation to Richardson's Funeral Home, Inc. Amite for their generous contribution to the study of genealogy and local history. Please see the link below for their collection at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. Please email Dr. Antoinette Harrell at nurturingour@gmail.com  if you have any funeral programs in your private collection that you would like donate.

Link to the collection:

http://www.southeastern.edu/acad_research/programs/csls/historical_collections/archival_collections/r_s/richardson_funeral_home/