It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Mrs. Marie Smalls of Goose Creek, SC, who departed this life on Wednesday, November 2, 2022.

Those left to cherish her memory are: her husband, Mr. Moses Smalls; siblings, Ms. Magdelene Connell, Ms. Martha Webb and Mr. Simon Biscette; and a host of relatives and friends.

The viewing will be on Saturday, November 12, 2022, 10:00 am to 10:55 am at Calvary Church of God In Christ, 302 Jeffs Circle, Goose Creek, SC. The Celebration of Life Service will begin at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, November 12, 2022 at Calvary Church of God In Christ. Burial will take place in New York on a later date.

Marie (Connell) Smalls Personal Testimony

I am a native of the Island of Saint Lucia, West Indies, third child and second daughter of five siblings. I grew up a Catholic, with all of its practices, and was educated under the Catholic system. After high school, I worked in St. Lucia as a Clerk Typist for two years. I migrated to New York in February of 1972, on a student visa. I resided with my sister, Magdalene Connell, while I pursued my education in Programming at the Computer School of Programming Unlimited in New York, NY. After graduation, I obtained a good job in that field at American Express and life was going good for me. I thought that I had it made. Yet, deep within me was a void, and there was no satisfaction in anything that I did. My life had no purpose.

In December of 1981, while on my way to work , a gentleman by the name of Herbert Margetson, handed me a Gospel tract entitled "What Must I Do To Be Saved." He spoke briefly, and he invited me to his church. We crossed paths periodically, and with much persistence by him and his dear wife, Rosebud, I eventually went to church with them a couple of months later to a Wednesday evening service at Anchor Baptist, in Starrett City, Brooklyn, NY. This was my first encounter with the "Word of God" with such clarity. My heart burned with deep conviction of my spiritual state because of my separation from God by sin.

By my third consecutive visit, the "Word of God" brought much conviction, as at the other times. On the last Sunday of February 1982, Miss Shirley Oliver showed me from the "Word of God" what I had to do to be "Born Again". That day, I did what the Bible said I had to do to have peace and forgiveness, and God changed my life. Later, I was baptized and became a member of Anchor Baptist Church. I now have peace and purpose for living.

Following my conversion, Mr. & Mrs. Margetson welcomed me into their home every Monday evening for family Bible Study, which went on for approximately one year. The first memory verse that I was taught was II Corinthians 6:14, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" Through their personal discipleship, and the church's teaching, "it did me well." I grew spiritually, became: a Sunday School teacher, sang in the choir, served as President of the Anchor Ladies Fellowship, and was active in evangelism and other areas of church ministry.

In the unforgettable summer of 2001, just before the infamous "911 Terrorist Attack" on the New York World Trade Center, Pastor Smalls, who was then a widower for several years, proposed marriage and we were united in "Holy Matrimony" in November of that same year.