Former Mayor of Edwards, Nerissa Smith, obituary from the Clarion Ledger

Nerissa  Smith

Nerissa Smith, 93, died on June 16, 2011, at her daughters' residence in Jackson Tennessee.



Most of Nerissa formative years were spent in Edwards, Mississippi. She attended High school for two years in Washington DC but returned to her beloved Edwards and graduated from Southern Christian Institute.



Nerissa was a people and community oriented person. She loved the town of Edwards and wanted to make a difference in her community. This led her to seek the position of Mayor. She ran successfully and became the first and only female (to date) Mayor of Edwards.



The first county wide Headstart program, summer youth job program, and Christmas dinner for the elderly were some of the projects she developed and implemented.



She is survived by her daughter, Catherine Lewis; two grandsons, Jonathan and his wife Erica, and Jordan; two great grandsons; one great granddaughter; sisters, Gladys Saunders of Washington, D.C. and Doris Taylor of Edwards; seventeen nieces and nephews; and a loving and caring goddaughter, Cassandra N. Lee.



Services will be held at 11: o'clock on Tuesday, June 21, 2011, at United Baptist Church in Edwards, Mississippi. Visitation will be on Monday, June 20, 2011, from 1 to 7 pm at Lakeover Funeral Home