Ima Jean Smith, 82, of Advance, NC, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 after a period of declining health. Ima Jean was born on July 29, 1939 in Winston-Salem, NC. Her parents, Phyllis and Clifton Cook, raised a child who would become a beloved sister, mother and friend. After graduating from Gray High School in 1957, she worked for a short while before she met Charles E. Smith, and they wed in February 1959, going on to have two children, Glenda Leigh (Farley) Howard and Donald Gray Smith. She dedicated her life to being a loving and wonderful mother and added to that by returning to work for AON Risk and Insurance until she retired in the mid 1990s. Ima Jean encouraged her family and friends through all the aspirations and difficulties of their lives. She always seemed to have the right words to say that conveyed her compassion and encouragement for any occasion. Ima Jean was an envied cook and talented crafter. When she wasn’t filling her home with warmth and kindness, she could be found filling Bethlehem United Methodist Church with her spirit of love and service. She also shared her spirit of service by volunteering for the Davie Campus of the Wake Forest Baptist Hospital shortly after they opened that facility.