Lillian Weaver Smith passed away on Nov. 8, 2023, at Covenant Living at Windsor Park, Carol Stream at age 92. She was born Dec. 30, 1930, in Chicago to Lillian (Norris) and Charles Blanchard Weaver with a distinguished lineage which, whenever asked about, she brushed off with a whimsical "I wasn't there at the time."  She was a great-great-granddaughter of abolitionist Jonathan Blanchard, founder of Wheaton (IL) College.  Her maternal grandfather Rev. Dr. J. Frank Norris, among the more notable Fundamentalists of the 20th century, pastored the First Baptist Church of Ft. Worth, TX and founded the then-largest Sunday school (5000) in the U.S.

Lillian grew up in Glen Ellyn IL.  She attended Cornell (IA) College, then graduated from St. Olaf (MN) College where she studied music and religion.  Lillian often accompanied performers and church services, regularly filling her home with music at the piano.

Lillian then worked at Wheaton College as administrative assistant to David L. Roberts, director of public relations (1951-56). She married Ray H. Smith on Dec. 28, 1956, in College Church, Wheaton and they then lived in Arlington, VA while her husband fulfilled his U.S. Army obligation. For 15 months Lillian was secretary to the Pentagon's director of personnel, during which time she was selected from among 30,000 secretaries for temporary assignment in the office of Secretary of Defense Charlie Wilson.

Upon returning to Wheaton, where the Smiths resided for the next 54 years, she was a   secretary in Wheaton College's Office of the President. After raising her children, she worked in the College Church office as a secretary to the pastoral staff under senior pastor Rev. Dr. Kent Hughes.

Lillian, who accepted Christ as her Savior as a middle schooler, became a member of College Church in the 1940's.  She served at the church in many roles, including children's' Sunday School teacher, deaconess, Visitation Committee chairperson, Nominating Committee, the church librarian, and more.

Her lifelong love for books led her into library work throughout her life including:  part-time position at the Glen Ellyn Public Library, volunteering in her children's school libraries, overseeing the church library modernization, and culminated as library coordinator at Windsor Park libraries where she reorganized the 22,000-book library system.

Lillian was pre-deceased by her parents Charles and Lillian Weaver, sisters Mary Searer and Julia Davis. She is survived by her husband, Ray, of 66 years, son Scott (Korey Cayetano) Smith of Westminster, CO; daughter Heidi (Christopher) Truty of  Geneva, IL  granddaughters Anda (Marc) Elardo  of Salt Lake City; Hillary (Ryan) Cobden of North Aurora, IL, Jenna (Garrett) Gatlin of Colorado Springs; Samantha (Mikl) Barton of Arvada, CO;  grandsons Adam (Katrina) Truty of Dublin, CA;  Taylor Yapp (Lauren) of Los Gatos, CA; and 12 great-grandchildren.

The memorial service is on December 8, 2023, 1:00pm at Windsor Park Retirement Community in Carol Stream IL.

A livestream of the service will be found here: Livestream

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to College Church in Wheaton, the Charles B. and Lillian Weaver Memorial Scholarship Fund at Wheaton College, or the Benevolent Fund of Windsor Park Retirement Community.