Forever in our hearts! Sleep peacefully Mom!
My dearest Marina, I think of you so very often and, oh, how I miss your wonderful letters which were always so chockful of news and delightful pictures of your family, especially all your beautiful grandchildren. You provided them with so much knowledge regarding other faiths, a faith other than their own and you told[…]
I miss my mother deeply but remember every day she was driven by her Christian principles, embraced the concept in Judaism of Tikkun Olam (repairing a broken world) and embodied the Rwandan values of Ubumuntu: Humanity and Greatness of Heart. Her belief shone in her life and acts. For the: stranger, you shared your home[…]
We are not very good at dying, and yet, it is the one thing in our lives that we are all certain to do sometime. It is one of the great acts of living – some die in valor, some in pain, some young, others old – and my mother has been preparing for it every day[…]
I lack words to convey the magnitude of the pain I am feeling when I heard about Mama Marina’s passing away. She just left a big void….as if I knew her since I was born; but the legacy of faith, commitment and love for the Lord she gave me is far greater than the void[…]
On behalf of USC Shoah Foundation’s Board of Councilors, I’m writing to express our deepest sympathy on the loss of your dear mother, Marina Smith. Marina was an educator, a storyteller and an archivist of memory. She devoted her life to building understanding and empathy between different communities of people. The stories and memories that[…]
I first met Marina and her family through Abbey Street Methodist Church in Dublin, Eire. We also attended the same Wesley Methodist College. Marina visited our home many times and always came up the stairs to say goodnight to me, tuck me in and talk a while. Her words to me stuck with me “Joan, you’re a[…]
Dear Stephen and James You are forever in my thoughts. With much love Kitty Words fail me! I am distraught at the loss of Marina- forever in my heart! Kitty Hart-Moxon
Posted by Chris Walker – A Remarkable Lady, This is a very brief thank you to Mrs Smith for giving me a fantastic purpose filled life, rich in meaning, a rare exquisite gift beyond value. Thank you, Mr Smith, Stephen and James, thank you for sharing you wife and mother, with us all. My mother[…]
Yom Ha Shoah (around 2012) In the run up to the event, Mrs Smith had written and issued the invitations (despite being ‘retired’ for roughly 7 years already) and acted as the coordinator with the Holocaust Centre for the Survivors and their families. Every invitation email/letter she had sent, to over 100 people and their[…]
I am writing as a member of the Yom Ha Shoah Manchester Committee who were honoured to have Marina as one of our patrons. Her conviction and commitment always inspired us and she will always be a shining light to us. On a personal note, Marina was a good friend to my parents, my father[…]
How do you thank someone who has given you so much? Who has gently, firmly, moulded you into the person you are? Who has shown you right from wrong and given you the values you try (and all too frequently) fall too short of? Words don’t seem enough. It has been an honour to know you Mrs Smith. You[…]
So sad that Marina has passed away. She was the inspiration and heart of Beth Shalom, a place which allowed me to release my demons. She was compassionate, caring, welcoming, a good listener – she was my friend. It will take me a long time to read through the plethora of lengthy, beautiful tributes above, but they were[…]
I met Mrs. Marina Smith at her house in 2016. I was invited by the Chatham House in London to go and give presentation on the future of youth in the horn of Africa. Before I could leave South Sudan for London, I informed Glen whom I met in Kigali Genocide Memorial centre in the[…]
Dearest Mrs Smith I can’t quite believe we will never see you again on this earth. But what an amazing legacy. The amount of lives all over the world you have touched over all of these year. The heartbreak you have helped heal and mend with your love, compassion reaching out with Grace. Thank you[…]
Last time I was with Marina, it was at the CCJ conference, where I was one of the speakers, and had arranged to pop in to spend some time with Marina in the early afternoon. It was my folly to have had lunch at the centre before I went over to Marina’s for 2.00 pm,[…]
What can I say? I am broken-hearted that the person I love most is no longer here. For more than 40 years, she has been a mother to me, teacher, pastor, counsellor, friend; but Mrs Smith has served her Lord God all her life, His timing is always perfect, so it would me wrong of[…]
Dear Smith Family, so sad to hear the passing of Mrs Smith, you are in my thoughts and prayers. As all the tributes share – once meet , never forgotten and I have many memories of walking over to Bethany for advice, sharing news and rebuke! A remarkable lady and a fitting site to give[…]
Marina was a tour de force, indefatigable in her desire to support Holocaust survivors and their families as well as the survivors of the genocide in Rwanda and many, many more. I came to know her through the annual visits to Beth Shalom by students of the Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (later[…]
Dear Stephen, James, Eddie and the entire Smith family, I am so very sorry to hear of the loss of your wonderful mother/wife/ grandmother. I can do no better than to reiterate the many accolades she has received since her passing. Indeed there are not sufficient superlatives to describe the kind of woman she was:[…]
Dearest Smith Family When I first found my faith, I looked everywhere for a place of worship whose principles and acts reflected those I recognised to be Holy, Righteous. One day, a friend said, “I have found an amazing woman – you have to meet her!” When I met this wonderful Mother, I knew I[…]
It was an honour and a privilege to have known marina and her amazing family since I first visited beth shalom over 25 years ago. Her kindness and warmth was all-consuming and her deep genuine interest and concern for everyone she met was amazing. On a personal level she always wrote such beautiful personal messages[…]
My very sincere condolences to Stephen and James and all of the extended family. I first met the special lady I was privileged to call mother in 1981 and last saw her on Mother’s Day 2022. In all that long time she remained the same. The same sweet smile, the same loving arms. I can[…]
Dear Mother, We will miss you, yet you have accomplished your work here on earth, amazingly! How glorious and uplifting to know the Lord holding your hand and the host of angels beside you as your journey carried on to Glorious Eternal life with God. We know you will be still watching over us. The[…]
I first met Mrs Smith in 1980 when my best friend Jill knew of my broken heart and said she knew someone who could help me well that was the biggest understatement ever!! From the moment I met Mrs Smith my life changed, I knew I had met someone very special and was privileged to[…]
“Those we held in our arms for a short while, we keep in our hearts forever. It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember” I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family of Smith.






