Lillie Smith didn’t just raise four children. As a single mother, she raised four children who would go on to receive undergraduate and master’s degrees in college, then went on to advanced studies as well.

It has been no small task for the 69-year-old resident of Cannonville Road, but it’s been an exciting one for her and children David Smith, Brian Smith, LaKaren Rickman and Kendell Smith.

She worked more than 12 years in Dixie Mill and more than 20 in Troup High School’s lunchroom to help support her family.

Not graduating from high school was not an option for Smith’s children.

“You want your children to do a little bit better than you. I went to school and I got my high school diploma. They had two options - either go to college or go to work - and they didn’t want to go to work,” she said with a laugh.

“Once they got in there, they wanted to go on and get their master’s, and then once they got their master’s, they wanted to go further.”

It’s difficult enough for a mother to raise one child and get him to college. For a single mother, four children could certainly be a nightmare.

In Smith’s case, it truly took an entire village to raise her children. The whole Cannonville community came together to raise her children and other children, she said.

Going to college was a common thing for the Cannonville community, Smith said. She estimated about 95 percent of the Cannonville children graduated from high school and went to college.

“When I was raising my kids, everybody helped,” she said. “It wasn’t just the mama - everybody helped, but I raised them all by myself. I worked a lot, doubles, triples, whatever it took.”

Her children and their accomplishments are:

— Oldest son David Smith, who has a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and a master’s in marketing;

— Second child Brian Smith, who has a bachelor’s in political science, a master’s in counseling and human development, and a master’s of public administration;

— Daughter LaKaren Rickman, who has a bachelor’s in biology and psychology, a master’s in marriage and family therapy, and a Ph.D. in pediatric psychology;

— And youngest son Kendell Smith, who has a bachelor’s in early childhood education, a master’s in exercise physiology and is working toward a Ph.D. in occupational safety and health at the University of Cincinnati.

Lillie Smith works alongside her son David at his limousine service located across the street from her house, Brian works with Community Action for Improvement Inc., Kendell is working toward his Ph.D. and LaKaren is in her residency at Johns Hopkins in Maryland.

They’re an accomplished group from a mother who did whatever she had to for them. They didn’t get where they are due only to Lillie Smith’s hard work and dedication, however. Her kids, too, worked every day they could and made sacrifices along the way.

“My kids never went hungry a day in their lives, and they never got everything they wanted. They got what they needed. I think now sometimes we give them a little bit too much,” she said. “My kids worked, they worked after school and all that, so they didn’t have no ‘play-play’ time.”

It’s that work ethic that Lillie Smith is proud to see in her children. Besides being proud of them all around, it makes her feel good to see them doing well. To show their gratitude, they bought her the house she lives in now - a one-story dwelling with maroon shutters and a big front porch.

The secret to the families success?

“You pray a lot,” she said with a laugh.

Trey Wood can be reached at twood @ lagrangenews. com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 228.

— “Neighbors” is a feature of LaGrange Daily News which spotlights people who are in the news, have unusual hobbies or are otherwise interesting. To suggest a person who could be profiled, contact Becky Holland at bholland@ lagrangenews or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 229.