DELORES JAMERSON

Delores Yvonne Smith Jamerson passed away on Oct. 7, 2025, at the age of 84. She died peacefully at her home in Lexington with her youngest daughter, Debbie, who was her caregiver during her last years.

Born in Alexandria on June 23, 1941, Delores (nickname Yvonne) was the daughter of Delores Boyce Smith and Sandy J. Smith of Clinton, Md. Both of her parents worked at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C., where her father, Sandy J. Smith, retired.

When Delores was a child, she was a member of CalvaryBaptist Church in Washington, D.C., where her family attended church. At the age 3, her parents divorced and for a short time she lived with her brothers, Sandy Jr. and Wayne, at The Baptist Home for Children in Bethesda, Md. After staying at the home for a short period of time, her father remarried and she moved into the home her father built for his family in Clinton, Md.

Yvonne as she was known to her close family members graduated from Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, Md. She then worked at Riggs National Bank in Washington, D.C., as well as a savings and loan firm in Washington, D.C. While working in Washington, she began her federal career with the Department of Labor working as a budget analyst. As a budget analyst, she served as a liaison between the State Department and the Labor Department providing advice and counsel on budgetary matters involving overseas accounts.

During this time, she married her husband, Willard Smith Jamerson, and they had two children together, Jenifer Elizabeth and Deborah Anne. She dearly loved her husband and her children and shortly after her daughter, Deborah (Debbie) was born, she decided to become a stay at home mom. She absolutely loved being a stay at home mom and was a member of the PTA and assisted her girls with their projects and volunteered at their elementary school. She also assisted with organizing and establishing ACTS (Action in Community Through Service) in Dumfries. This nonprofit agency still exists and provides food and shelter for the Prince William area residents.

She also was an entrepreneur with her husband. They had a country store named Pappy's Grocery located in Midway Island, which was off-base housing for the Marines serving at Quantico. Her Husband, Willard (nicknamed Jimmy), was a veteran of World War II and her stepsons, Timothy “Tim” Jamerson and Donald “Donnie” Jamerson both served in the Vietnam War.  

After having their country store for a few years, Delores learned her husband had terminal cancer of the esophagus. So they decided to close their store. They focused on providing the care Jimmy needed to fight the cancer. But Jimmy lost the fight in September 1979 and at this time, Delores was determined to have her husband honored for his military service for an enduring legacy for his children, grandchildren and future generations. So she fought hard to ensure he would be buried at Arlington National Cemetery and she won the fight! He was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

The years afterward were very hard for Delores losing her husband and being a single parent to two young children. She also discovered during a few years later that she had a brain tumor. Thankfully, it was not malignant but her recovery did keep her from doing everyday tasks and caring for her daughter, Debbie. However, she persevered through support and encouragement from friends and eventually trained and became a skilled certified nursing assistant serving elderly and disabled residents at a nursing facility in Manassas.

Delores always loved history and she loved going to historical sites. She also respected and honored Veterans especially since her husband and her father both served in World War II and her stepsons served in the Vietnam War. One of her greatest joys was educating family members on history and taking them on field trips to historical and educational sites. 

She also loved learning about her family history especially since she never knew her mom. She began learning about family history through her Aunt Truth who was her dad's sister. And she would visit grave sites; go to libraries; and contact distant family members to obtain family history. She loved researching and she loved going places to discover and explore. She was adventurous!

She also had a feisty but compassionate spirit! Folks would describe her as being tough! And she was, she was a fighter and she fought for what she believed in and what she was compassionate about! Most of all, she fought for those who were not treated fairly or were overlooked. This fighting spirit was instilled in her children and her grandchildren. And while we mourn her loss, we celebrate her life which taught us to treat people fairly; appreciate family; appreciate history; and most importantly to love each other. 

She is survived by her two brothers, Sandy Smith Jr. of Forest City, Pa., and Wayne Smith of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; her children, Jenifer “Jesse” Jay of Bedford and Debbie (David) Lipscomb of Lexington; and her grandchildren, Ashley (Jonathan) Hobbs of Lynchburg, Cassie (Andy) Mangold of Morgantown, W.Va., and Timmy Pemberton of in New York, N.Y.; and her great-grandchildren, Ryley, Sophie and Birdie.

A service will be held at a later date at ArlingtonNational Cemetery where she will be buried with her husband, Willard Smith Jamerson. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you could please submit a donation in Delores Jamerson's honor to Wreaths Across America or the National D-Day Memorial.

Arrangements are by Harrison Funeral Home and Crematory.