Ms. Willie Mae Smith was the first child of the late Mr. Willie Russell and Mrs. Alberta Russell, born March 7, 1936, in Birmingham, Alabama.

She attended Hooper City High School in the Jefferson County School District of Birmingham, Alabama, She attended Hooper City High School in the Jefferson County School District of Birmingham, Alabama, graduating in 1955.

Being an in-home personal caregiver to many, Willie Mae also worked professionally at Civic Center Nursing Home and was an Avon Representative receiving awards as an outstanding sale agent. She loved sales saying that "it gave me the freedom to be me". Willie Mae was known for her unintentional humor, sharp wit and sharp tongue, just telling it like it is, she says.

Willie Mae found Christ at an early age and loved spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She attended and became a member of the Evergreen Baptist Church Lewisburg, East Birmingham Church of God in Christ, A.O.H. Church of God in Christ, Saints Temple Church of God and United Independent Spiritual Christ.

Willie Mae loved telling others about the love of God and how he could change their lives, so much that some people referred to her as "Ms. Hallelujah!". Ms. Hallelujah had a very personal and close relationship with God which led her in many directions of the city. She walked mostly everywhere. She locally traveled, stopping along the way and spreading the word of the Lord Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen. Willie Mae wrote her only publication entitled, To Be Used of God. Her love of the Lord was evident throughout her adult life. She was a sweet, loving spirit with a pure heart, but would set you straight when needed. As Willie Mae drew closer and closer to God, her faith grew stronger and never wavering. She believed that God is a healer and a rewarder of those who diligently sought him. May the work she has done, naturally and spiritually, speak for her and heal another's soul.

Willie Mae departed this life on Friday, October 20, 2023. She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters, Geneva Turk and Josephine Ratcliff, both of Birmingham, Alabama.

She leaves to cherish her memory her only child, Yvonne Gurley Jackson of Houston, TX; two grandsons, Corey D. (Alisahah) Jackson of San Francisco, CA and Omari M. (Deshonra) Jackson of Houston, TX; one sister, Della M. Arrington of Cincinnati, OH; one aunt, Beatrice Jenkins of Bronx, Houston, TX; Willie Mae leaves a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and acquaintances who cherish her memory.