TOM AND HELEN SMITH REMEMBER THEIR COMMUNITY

The Piqua Community Foundation was delighted recently to learn of a bequest made to our grantmaking fund from the estate of J. Thomas and Helen Charlene Smith. This gift will allow The Foundation additional funding for community-oriented grants to local charitable organizations.

Tom Smith worked for Piqua Steel and other area companies for many years. He built a home for himself and his wife, Helen, on West High Street in Piqua. When the basement was finished they moved in and lived there while Tom completed the construction of the rest of the house.

The Smiths lived a quiet, frugal life with active interests in the Boy Scouts and Westminster Presbyterian Church. Their only child, a daughter, moved out of the area and passed away at an early age, several years after Tom’s death. Their only granddaughter and three great-granddaughters often visited Helen at her home on High Street and later at Piqua Manor, where she spent the final years of her life.

Living frugally and making wise investments, the Smiths accumulated a modest estate; in her will, Helen chose to make an unrestricted gift to support local community organizations through the Piqua Community Foundation. As part of the Community Fund, the Smiths’ thoughtful gift will benefit their fellow Piqua residents for years to come.

The Foundation has also recently been remembered in the will of Hazel L. Brandenburg and her gift will also be used to fund local charitable grants. Any community resident interested in making a similar gift should contact the Foundation office for more information.

"Providing your opportunity to enrich our community"