Thelma Corine Quinn Smith

Thelma Corine Quinn Smith, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother and friend passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 101 on October 16th, 2023, in Stockton, New Jersey where she has lived with her son, Roger, for the past several years.

 

Thelma was born on July 12th, 1922, to her loving parents, Mary Hatter and Joseph Quinn, in Oberlin, Ohio. The youngest of six children, she was preceded in death by her sisters Beulah, Elsie, Ruby and brother William. Thelma is survived by her sister Josephine, age 105, who joined her in New Jersey to celebrate her 100th birthday milestone with family and friends. She will be dearly missed by her five children: Linda, Delores, Diane (Bruce), Robert, Roger (Leslie) and their families.

 

Thelma graduated from Oberlin High School in 1940 where she met her future husband, Robert Smith who passed away in 1975. After high school, Thelma completed her nursing degree which began her long career of service and care for others. She studied piano and had a great love for the arts which she passed on to her children. She was also passionate about history, especially the untold contributions of “people of color” to the ever-evolving American story.

 

She was extremely proud of Oberlin’s unique history of supporting higher education for Women and African Americans and was actively involved in organizations dedicated to the preservation of the history of Oberlin’s role in the anti-slavery movement and beyond. Thelma served on the Board of the Oberlin Heritage Center from 1996 until she was appointed an Honorary Trustee in 2005. She volunteered as a docent, living history reenactor, researcher, and member of O.H.I.O.’s African American Preservation Committee. Her impact on history organizations and the greater community cannot be overstated. She has been a leader in many community projects and active in the statewide Friends of Freedom Society. She served as chairperson for Oberlin’s Sesquicentennial July 4th Heritage Days in 1983 and helped organize Oberlin’s first Juneteenth Celebration in 1996. She was a member of the Oberlin Historical and Improvement Organization’s Westwood Cemetery Publication Committee, which circulated “Westwood: A Historical and Interpretive View of Oberlin’s Cemetery” in 1997. She sat on the Curatorial Committee for the exhibit and symposium, “Threads of Freedom: The Underground Railroad Story in Quilts.” She was also committed to the preservation and recognition of the Wilson Bruce Evans home in Oberlin as a National Historic Monument.

 

While researching her own family history, some of whom were among the first Oberlin settlers, she conducted many oral history interviews with other descendants of early Oberlin families. Through her research she fostered deep relationships in communities with historical connections to Oberlin throughout the states of Ohio, Norh Carolina, Michigan and Canada. Thelma’s contributions to the history and well-being of the community are priceless gifts.

 

Beyond her many accomplishments, Thelma will be remembered by her children as a loving mother who inspired and guided her family to lead purposeful lives filled with joy.  “The sky is the limit”, she would say, “if you follow your heart”. Her enduring love, unbounding kindness, ceaseless energy, infectious curiosity, mischievous sense of humor and unending passion for life graced the lives of family and friends alike. Her fondest childhood memories were of the farm on Quarry Road where she grew up and where her family raised Holsteins and grew fields of vegetables and fruit trees. Her final years, spent on her son’s farm in New Jersey, she often described as “coming home”.

 

Thelma Corine Quinn Smith, through her passion, love, grace and joyfulness nourished and guided us and showed us all what a well-lived life can be!

 

Thelma’s “Celebration of Life” memorial service will be held at 2pm on Saturday, May 18th 2024 at the First Church in Oberlin, Ohio. Reception to follow. Please check back for updates!