Smith, diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in July 2018 that eventually spread to other organs, died on Nov. 15, 2020. She was 59.
The Hamilton native and Trenton resident loved Christmas so much that her memorial service was more about giving than grieving. Instead of sending flowers, Celebration of Life attendees were encouraged to bring toys that would be donated to organizations that assist children with disabilities.
“It was pretty unique,” Smith’s daughter, Christal Ward-Hipsher, said about the toy drive. “People seemed excited, glad to be part of the celebration and knowing how happy mom was in heaven seeing that she was leaving a mark down here on earth.”
That first year, about 150 toys were donated, Ward-Hipsher said. The event has continued and this year the sixth annual Season of Giving Toy Drive will be held and presents will be collected from 1-4 p.m. Nov. 9 at Star City Brewing Co., 319 S. Second St. in Miamisburg.
One room at Star City Brewing will be decorated for the holiday and “you can feel Christmas as soon as you walk in,” she said.
Ward-Hipsher said about 250 toys were collected last year, and she expects to exceed that number this year. She said some toys already have been donated.
Those presents will be given to the Pink Ribbon Good organization that will distribute them to children from the region whose lives have been impacted by cancer.
Courtney Compliment, regional manager for Pink Ribbon Good, said volunteers will pick up the toys and deliver them to clients who live throughout Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus. She said the age-appropriate toys are matched with children.
Compliment said her mother died from breast cancer and she called the Season of Giving Toy Drive “an incredible and impactful way to pay it forward” for the family.
The toys help “fill the gap” as families face the “toughest battle of their lives,” she said.
The drive is organized by Ward-Hipsher, 46, and her two brothers, Tony, 47, and Justin, 44.
Ward-Hipsher, a registered nurse at Kettering Health Miamisburg, said her mother was one of 10 children. She worked with children with disabilities and thoroughly enjoyed watching them interact during the holiday events.
That’s probably why Christmas was her favorite holiday, her daughter said. So it made sense for the family to continue that love in their mother’s memory, she said.
“She would be crying and excited for these kids,” she said.
The toy drive gives Smith’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren another opportunity to pay tribute to her.
“It’s a day to remember mom in an amazing way,” she said. “Her spirit continues through the toy drive and it touches us. That makes missing her a little easier, if that makes sense.”
Ward-Hipsher said her mother missed only one yearly mammogram. She went from having a negative mammogram one year to Stage 4 breast cancer two years later.
“We all were bitter at first,” she said. “We didn’t understand the why and how. It was a lot to digest.”
Sara Marie Smith taught her daughter one last life lesson.
She hasn’t missed one yearly mammogram appointment.
Columnist Rick McCrabb writes about local people and events every Sunday. If you have an idea for a story, contact him at rmccrabb1@gmail.com.
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