By Yvette M. Giles, EdD
“I hope I can be half the woman that my mom was,” said Desorae Giles-Smith, Manager for the City of Lauderhill, about the passing of her beloved mother, Laura Etta Rozier Giles, 79, on Tuesday, July 5. “She was truly a remarkable person.”
“My mother’s willingness to give was what was most remarkable about her,” said Giles-Smith.
“She was always willing to listen, share a smile, and give advice when asked. She was a person who could just make you feel better.”
A retired teacher, Giles influenced the lives of students from Pompano Beach and Deerfield Beach, Florida.
“My mom was a caring educator who loved her students, but she was also a strict disciplinarian, who prepared her students for success, both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Giles-Smith. “She had an impact on the community with every student she taught, every family she touched, every person she encountered, and every friend she loved.”
Former students appreciated her warmhearted high-expectation teaching style and willingness to devote her time and energy to their achievement of academic success. Her students included NFL players Zach and Henry Crockett, Al Harris, and Pamela Huizenga, daughter of Wayne Huizenga.
“She was devoted to her profession,” said Giles-Smith. “And I appreciated knowing that anything she did, she did well.” Her students often requested placement of their children in her classroom. Giles retired from Crystal Lake Middle School in 2006 and devoted her time, energy, love, and focus to her grandsons.
When her grandchildren, Christopher and Christian, whom she affectionately called “Squirmy” and “Scrunchy” were born, she enjoyed her grandma time with them and took them with her everywhere she went.
Their parents, Senator Chris Smith and wife, Giles-Smith, called Giles’s devotion to her family “unwavering,” despite her active participation in many other activities. When Giles-Smith married Smith, Giles became enamored with him when he told her she was “his favorite mother-in-law.” Giles-Smith jokingly reminded him, “She is your only mother-in-law.” Giles became a “Chris Smith advocate” and spokesperson to family and friends, working tirelessly on his campaigns.
Giles demonstrated her love for her family through the time she spent with them and the unconditional support she so willingly provided. She lovingly cared for her husband, Leveorn, until his passing in 2018. They met when both were eight years old and living on the same street in Collier City (Pompano Beach, Florida). They later became high school sweethearts at Blanche Ely in Pompano Beach, where Giles was a superior academic performer.
With encouragement from her teachers, mother, and family, Giles attended Kittrell College in Kittrell, North Carolina, a two-year HBCU that closed in 1975. She excelled in her collegiate studies and was a popular student. She was also voted “Ms. Kittrell,” Queen of her college.
“She was beautiful, inside and out, so she was ‘a natural’ to be selected college queen,” said former Lauderhill City Commissioner Tyson Jones, who attended Kittrell College with Giles. “So many guys tried to talk to her, but she wouldn’t talk to them.”
“Mom was so beautiful, and everybody loved her, so Dad asked her to marry him before she went to Kittrell College, rather than risking losing her to someone else,” said Giles-Smith. “My mother married my father, Leveorn, the love of her life in 1965, after she graduated from and returned home. They had a wonderful marriage and shared 53 years together.”
In 1970, Giles resumed her academic studies at Florida Atlantic University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Education.
Giles began her teaching career at Sanders Park Elementary School and worked there for two years. After Sanders Park Elementary, she taught at her beloved Crystal Lake Middle School, where she taught for 35 years.
Giles, who originated from humble beginnings, was born on October 24, 1943, in Lyons, Georgia. She was one of 12 children born to her parents, the late Emma Lee Worthen, and the late Spencer Rozier. When Giles was younger, she performed chores and worked in the fields with her family.
Giles attended Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church from an early age and gave her life to Christ soon after arriving in Pompano Beach. She was an active member of the church, serving as Church Secretary for many years and working to ensure that programs and activities ran smoothly at the church. Later, she became a member of New Bethel Baptist Church, where she continued her commitment to the Lord’s will for her life and assisted with “Live Oak Day” and other activities of the church.
Giles’s love and adoration for her daughter, Giles-Smith, is visible in the love her daughter bestows upon others.
“Mom was delighted when Chris and I started Smitty’s Wings, and she was often a frequent patron of the restaurant,” said Giles-Smith.
After Giles’s initial visit to Smitty’s, one of the employees called Smith to report that a lady was driving away slowly in a Black Lexus without paying her bill.
“Chris advised the employee that this lady (his mother-in-law) was not allowed to pay a bill at Smitty’s,” said Giles-Smith.
Giles changed many lives for the better and always saw the good in others, her family said. She always had a kind word to say and sage advice to give. She was a trusted member of her family and every organization of which she was a member.
“Mom loved the Lord and dedicated her life to working, worshiping, and doing His will,” said Giles-Smith. “Losing her has been extremely difficult; I miss her every day.”
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