Having the privilege of working with this servant-leader has been amazing. You are always greeted with a “Hi there.” Then you notice the beautiful person before you with a radiant smile, eyes that really see you, ears to listen to your thoughts and an unbelievable caring heart. She is quick to listen and slow to speak. But when she does, her words have a quality of wisdom and understanding.
This is none other than Patricia Ramey Smith.
She is the youngest of seven. She grew up in Tucker, attended Smoke Rise Elementary School and Tucker High School. The mother of Gary and Emmy Award-winning Terry, one daughter-in-love (as she calls her), three grandsons whom she adores. A woman of great courage and even greater faith, at an early age she became a widow and several years later was moved by God to relocate her family to Columbus, Ohio. There she received her mastery of grant writing and working with non-profit organizations. In the early 2000s she moved back to Georgia to be close to her aging parents. She now resides in the family home on Tucker Industrial Road (formerly Ramey Road, named for her family).
For many years Patricia was the executive director of a homeless shelter for women and their children where she provided aid and counseling to help them get on their feet. She collaborated with many philanthropists, celebrities, and politicians to bring awareness to this need. With this collective knowledge, in 2018 she became an intricate part of the revitalization of the Peters Park Community. Her efforts include organizing cleanups, fund-raisers, instituting a prayer vigil before each cleanup and all events for Peters Park, and going before the Mayor and Council to advocate for her community. She was also very instrumental in writing a matching grant for our beloved William McKinley Peters Park for adult exercise equipment. She worked diligently with the City of Tucker for the installation of landscaping on Elmdale Road, sign toppers and three gateway signs for Peters Park.
In June 2022 faced with an enormous challenge in her life, emergency brain surgery, Patricia with phenomenal faith recovered in a remarkable period of time. Patricia says, “God spared my life for a reason, and I’m going to live out my purpose of what God wants me to do.”
Patricia is currently Senior Executive Director at MWR Financial. There she helps provide financial services, tools and educational materials to propel members towards financial security. Along with this, she is now working to establish The Peters Park Community as a 501(c)(3).
Patricia is a person that deserves recognition, and we nominate her for Citizen of the Month.
Nomination by Linda Clark and Virginia Turks
