Valerie Gillis Covin passed from this life to be with Christ at the age of 71.

Valerie was born to the late Emmanuel Lawrence Pleasant Jr. and Indiana

Lavinia Staples Gillis on July 11, 1953 in Bridgeton Hospital in Bridgeton,

NJ. She attended Bridgeton Public Schools as a young child. In 1967 she met

Richard Terry’ Smith. In 1989, she fell in love with the late Victor Covin, and

on January 12, 1991 they were joined in holy matrimony. She was baptized

August 21, 2005 at Voice of Deliverance New Covenant Church by

Pastor Charles Hawkins and was currently an attending member of Love Oasis

Ministries under the spiritual guidance of Pastor Billy Dee and Elite Lady Tanisha

D. Williams. In 1972, Valerie earned her GED and attended Manpower Training

Center where she received a certification in Bookkeeping. In 1975 she began

attending college and earned multiple awards for the President and Dean’s lists.

She earned multiple degrees and educational certificates while attending colleges

and other training institutes. She attended Stockton state, Cumberland County,

Colorado State and Rowan Colleges receiving a total of 163 college credits.

As a young women, she worked in the local factories: Deer Park Baking

Co; Hunts, Seabrook Bros & Sons; P J Ritter’s, Owens Illinois, Wheaton and

Kerr Glass Industries. While attending college, she worked in the medical

health field and worked at the local health care geriatric institutions: Bishop

McCarthy, Rainbow, Greenbriar, Vineland Nursing and Vineland Developmental

Centers. She also worked at the American Institute of Mental Studies and the

NJ Memorial Home. In 1993 Valerie Worked for M.L King Academy and Community

Outreach Center as an Executive Director, designing and implementing

programs for the Center for Disease control in the area of teaching HIV Prevention

education. She received the CEO Award for Outstanding Performance

in 1995 and 1996. While working in this capacity, she served as a member of the

Cumberland County Child Assessment Resource Team (CART), the NJ HIV

Prevention Community Planning Group and the NJ Protection and Advocacy

Advisory Board.

Valerie spent her adult life as a volunteer tutoring young and older adults in

a variety of subject’s at Cumberland County College. She began a business

preparing income taxes at 17, helping people in this area until her death. She

hopes to be remembered for her love of children, her devotion to helping others,

her love for sharing, her sense of humor, her smile and her love for traveling

abroad as well as throughout the United States.

In addition to her wonderful son Rome Smith Sr., her memories will be

cherished by her 8 grandchildren, Rome Jr., Rashaun, Chanele, Ventrelle Jr.,

Ti’Zyah, Fashionette, Niyahn and Rowen Smith; a daughter-in-law, Linda Logan-

Smith; three sisters; Andrea Marie Gillis, Rhonda (Jule) Harrison and Donna

Williams of Bridgeton, NJ; three Brothers David Edward Gillis, Ronald and

Bruce Williams of Bridgeton, NJ; 23 nieces, Sonya Davis (Brian), Reisha Gillis

(Christopher), Precious Richmond (Leopoldo), Ebony martin Griffin (Bobby),

Ivory Roya, Pleasure Gillis, Sheila Pierce-Williams (Kenny Sr.), Charlesetta

Hughes (Sherman), LaTonya Gillis, Renee Bonner (Steve), Shray Williams

(Robert), Sheena Hasan (Ali), Nakia Scurry, Yashicka Frazier, Davina Strickland

(Ricky), Indiana Amelia, Maqueba, Antionette Gillis, Marcella Byrd, Amber

(Mylon) Johnson, Tameka Woodard, Taray and Shemyera Williams; 14 nephews,

Curtis Pierce ( Tania), Ronald Jr. (Shamyra) and Raheem Williams, Ron Lavar

Thomas (Reema), Christopher Dickerson, Damien Shaw, Isaiah Nelson, Ray

Jones, Quincy Griffin, Tyrone Jr,. David Jr.,Daryl and Lamont Gillis and David

Cole, four step-children, Richard Terry Jr., Tilo, Rasheena and Rashad Smith;

adopted and spiritual nieces and nephews; Antione Williams, Jonathan Griffin,

Latisha Frazier, Calvina (Ronald Sr., AKA (Buddy). Vincent, Roosevelt Jr;

Brandon and Tonya Hart-Lee. An adoptive on Rae Robison (Theresa), a special

cousins, Denise Staples and Valerie Lovett, special friends, Thomas Chester,

Diane Muhammad, Sharon Williams, Pastor Maxine Allen, Pastor Russell and

Charlene Alston, Tanisha Jarret, Willie Covin (Cootie), Chevelle Childers,

Tanisha Russell, Jerrilyn Hadley and Lloyd Barrett, a host of great nieces and

nephews, cousins and other relatives and friends.

In addition to her husband and parents, she is pre deceased by her son Ventrelle

Smith Sr., two brothers, Charles Louis (Turkey) and Tyrone Thomas Gillis.

Her sisters, Marvella (Vimmie) and Sandra Gillis; a great-grandson, Rome

Smith, her step-fathers David Edward Williams and Leo Allen Sr., her grandmothers,

Winnie R. Echols, Bertha Selina Tilley-Pleasant; her grandfathers,

Albert Atkinson and Emmanuel Lawrence Pleasant Sr., her cousins Beverly

Brooks (Bam), Loretta Staples (Chicken), Sharon, Glendina and Deborah

Wheeler, Yvonne, Jerome, Yolanda, William Jr., Deborah Staples and Cynthia

Staples-Clark, Irmajean Howard and Robert Pleasant ; 1 niece, Luvinia

Williams, a great niece and a great nephew, Infinity (MommyPooh) Milledge

and Robert Williams Jr.; five paternal aunts: Bertha Selina Pleasant Howard

Golden, Ethel Pleasant Brown, Doris Pleasant Caroaway, Ruth and Latisha

pleasant, two step-ants; Irene Williams and Jessie Gordon and one maternal

aunt: Betty Corley Staples.