Sheila Bennett Smith

Sheila Bennett Smith, 70, of Des Moines, IA passed away on April 19, 2025 at her home. A funeral service will be taking place Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. at Hendersons Funeral and Cremation Care with visitation beginning one hour prior service.

Sheila Bennett Smith was born on May 3, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. She is one of three daughters of Percy and Helen (Berry) Bennett. She grew up in Chicago and graduated from Calumet High School. Sheila furthered her education at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. She pursued a degree in Social Work which led to a career at Crest Services.

Sheila met Dallas Smith in Chicago, IL and they were married in 1978. They later moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where they built a life together.

Sheila was a member of True Missionary Church. In the early 2000s, she moved her membership to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, under the leadership of Reverend C.C. Wright, where she continued to practice her faith and participated in fellowship with her husband. She loved her church family.

Sheila had the pallet of a chef and was great in the kitchen. She liked to go shopping at flee markets. She indulged in crafting and knitting. Sheila was very passionate about mentoring others and helping those with special needs. Sheila was family oriented and took on her nieces and nephews as if they were her own. She was a very giving, talkative, opinionated and a great negotiator.

Sheila Bennett Smith passed away on April 19, 2025, in her home in Des Moines, IA. She was preceded in death by her late husband, Dallas Smith; parents, Percy and Helen (Berry) Bennett; brother, Terrance Cheeks Sr.; grandmother, Aline Berry; aunt, Rosemary Berry; a host of in-laws from the Smith family.

Left to cherish Sheila in memory are her sisters, Sharon (Charles) Waters, Sherre (John) Ross; nephews, Terrance Cheeks II and Terry Griffin; nieces, Brittish Cheeks and Terrion Griffin; in-laws, Kimberly Cheeks, Deacon Albert (Roseanne) Smith; along with a host of extended family and friends.