"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day..." I Timothy 4:7-8.Vera "Marlene" Smith, 63, of 1452 State Route 351, Enon Valley, finished her race ("not a minute earlier and not a minute later" than God intended) the morning of September 6, 2011, at her home after a courageous, lengthy battle with cancer.Throughout her battle with cancer, she clung to the Apostle Paul's words: "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary trouble are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).She was born February 15, 1948, in Rochester, Pennsylvania and lived in the barnhouse that friends and family built in 1980 adjacent to her parent's farm in Enon Valley. There she raised, together with her husband of 40 years, Gregory C. Smith, five children: Jennifer L. (Darin) Ernst of Enon Valley; Brandt G. Smith of Fort Mill, SC; Katrina J. (Brian) Self of Gilbert, AZ; Jordan C.R. Smith and Caleb B. Smith, both of Enon Valley. In addition to her husband and children, Marlene is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Phyllis A. and Ronald E. Smith; her brother and sister-in-law, Terry R. and Susan Brandt of Beaver Falls; and many special nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents, Ray B. and Ruth I. Brandt.Marlene's greatest passion was her Lord Jesus Christ. Her other passions included her precious grandchildren: Ava L. Ernst, Carter E. Ernst, and Ila M. Self; gardening; canning; decorating, stamping; and entertaining. She also loved her church family at the Free Methodist Community Church where she led a Prayer Builders group on Wednesday nights and was active in her Connections group.A memorial celebration will be held on Saturday, September 10th at 2:00 p.m. at the Free Methodist Community Church in New Middletown, Ohio. The Reverend Hal Haire will officiate.Memorial contributions may be made to the Free Methodist Community Church, 9900 Youngstown Pittsburgh Rd., P.O. Box 426, New Middletown, Ohio 44442 or the donor's favorite charity. The family would like to give a special thanks to Dr. William Ferri for his compassionate care.