Cora Lee Smith

Cora Lee (Harrell) Smith “Sweet Cora Lee” August 21, 1953 – August 11, 2026 Cora Lee (Harrell) Smith, lovingly known to so many as “Sweet Cora Lee,” passed away on August 11, 2026, just ten days before her 73rd birthday. Born in Elmer, New Jersey, Cora Lee was the beloved daughter of Davis Baxter and Dora Lou (Welch) Harrell. Her family roots reached back to North Carolina and Tennessee before settling in South Jersey. Cora grew up on State Street in Elmer and carried with her throughout her life the love, traditions, and family values she learned there. She later made her home on Mary Elmer Drive in Bridgeton, where she lived for more than twenty years before moving to Oyster Bay, New York. Mary Elmer Drive was much more than a house to Cora—it was home in every sense of the word. It was a place filled with family, holidays, birthdays, laughter, music, flowers, homemade food, and countless memories. Cora was a woman of many gifts. She was especially talented in language arts, science, social studies, music, and arts and crafts. She graduated from Bridgeton High School with the Class of 1971 and attended Cumberland Community College, as well as court reporting and stenography at Ryder. Her exceptional shorthand and typing skills eventually led her into a career as a legal professional, where she worked alongside many lawyers and judges. She took tremendous pride in her work, and among her favorite professional relationships were her years working with John Casarow and Paul Kienzel in Bridgeton. Cora was so much more than her career, however. She was a nurturer, mentor, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, friend, and trusted businesswoman. She had a quiet elegance and grace about her, and she was known for her kindness, humility, patience, and strength. She loved making a home beautiful. She planted flowers and exotic bushes with her father, hosted countless holidays and birthdays, decorated enthusiastically for every season, baked and decorated cakes, and danced around the kitchen while listening to country music. She made homemade chocolates and treats at Christmas, becoming the legendary “Mrs. Claus” for her family. She loved cooking for her children and grandchildren, making egg salad, French toast, strawberry shortcake, iced tea, and German chocolate cake—especially for her daughter Sheri’s birthday, because it was a favorite of both Sheri and her grandfather. Cora loved country music and dancing, and she taught her daughter how to line dance, sew, type, and take care of herself. She believed strongly that knowledge was power. She taught her daughter to be independent, to be a leader rather than a follower, to adapt when life changed, and to never give up. She was the kind of mother who insisted that her daughter know how to change a tire, change her own oil, and defend herself before she would send her off to college. That strength was one of Cora Lee’s greatest gifts. Life asked much of her. She endured divorce, the loss of her parents, a devastating fire, the accident involving her beloved son Brucie, and a stroke in 2014. Through every hardship, Cora kept going. She persevered. She fought. She adapted. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone and remained fiercely independent until the end. But above all else, Cora Lee was a mother and grandmother. She lived for her children, Sheri and Brucie, and for her four grandchildren, who became the center of her world: Elyse Catherine, Kenneth Bruce, Camryn Leigh, and Brooke Lynn Corey. She was overjoyed when her first grandchild, Elyse, was born, whom she lovingly called “My Elyse.” She delighted in each grandchild who followed—her “drummer” Kenneth Bruce, her namesake Camryn Leigh, and, six years later, her little fighter Brooke Lynn. Cora often said, “I love being a mother, but being a grandmother is the best.” She meant it with all her heart. She helped raise her grandchildren, teaching them their ABCs and 123s, showing them how to make cards, cooking for them, celebrating their birthdays, and filling countless photo albums with pictures of every outfit, milestone, and precious moment. The sheer number of photographs she had printed of her grandchildren could have kept the CVS photo department busy for years. You could often find Cora beaming with pride while pushing a stroller, holding a baby, or teaching one of her grandchildren at the kitchen table. She was in her glory. Cora loved animals, especially her beloved dog Precious. She loved her brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, cousins, and the many friends she made throughout her life. She loved a good barbecue, a good spinach dip, a country song, a celebration, and a handwritten card. She sent cards for every occasion and had enough holiday cards to decorate an entire neighborhood. She was also wonderfully independent and never afraid of hard work. Whether she was cleaning gutters from a ladder, planting flowers on her knees, decorating a home, or taking care of her family, Cora simply did what needed to be done. Among the many cherished memories her family holds are riding trikes and go-karts with Brucie, summers and holidays on Mary Elmer Drive, Rod Runs and campground trips with the Street Rods, chasing lightning bugs with her Harrell cousins in Mason jars, being pushed around the garden in a wheelbarrow by Mom and Poppop Harrell, country dancing with her daughter throughout her teenage years, attending the George Strait concert in Atlantic City, celebrating countless birthdays, and watching Cora hold each of her grandchildren for the first time. Her life may not always have been easy, but it was unquestionably full of love. Cora Lee is survived by her beloved daughter, Sheri, and her husband Ken Corey, and her four grandchildren, Elyse Catherine, Kenneth Bruce, Camryn Leigh, and Brooke Lynn Corey. She is also survived by her brothers Roger Harrell and his wife Jennifer, and Rick Harrell and his wife Deb; her sister Mabel Harrell-Taylor and her husband Tom; her sister Bernadette “Kitty” DeLucas; brother-in-law Bill; and beloved nieces and nephews, Jason, Ryan, Matt, Steve, Jessica, Keith, Kelly, Jenny, Misti, NeLene, Holly, Trisha, Nicole, Tia, Davilynn, Jamie and Ryan and other extended family members, and countless friends whose lives she touched. She was predeceased by her parents, Davis Baxter Harrell and Dora Lou (Welch) Harrell; her son, Brucie; her siblings Dave Harrell Jr., Lynn Harrell-Bowman, and Darlene Crevier; as well as Jennifer, Bruce, and Tyler Coleman, along with other beloved family members. Brucie will be laid to rest with his mother on what would have been her 73rd birthday. Cora Lee leaves behind more than memories. She leaves behind lessons: to be strong, to be independent, to be humble and kind, to keep going when life becomes difficult, and most importantly, to love your family with your whole heart. To her daughter, Cora was not simply a mother. She was her role model, her teacher, her protector, her inspiration, and her example of what it means to be a strong woman. She taught her daughter how to be a lady, how to love, how to be a mother, and how to face life with courage. “Sweet Cora Lee” had big brown curls, beautiful hazel eyes, porcelain skin, and hands that were always busy caring for someone else. She gave everything she had to her children and grandchildren, right until the end. She was a gentle soul. A pillar of strength. A fighter. A nurturer. A mother. A Mommom. A friend. And she was deeply, deeply loved. Services A viewing will be held on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Adams Funeral Home, 64 Broad Street, Woodstown, NJ 08098. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, August 21, 2026, Cora Lee’s 73rd birthday, with the service beginning at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., at Malaga Campground and Tabernacle, 4488 Arbutus Avenue, Newfield, NJ 08344. Burial will take place on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Friendship United Methodist Church Cemetery, Friendship Road, Monroeville, NJ. May Cora Lee finally rest without pain or suffering. May she be dancing, laughing, eating chalupas, drinking green tea, and reunited with Brucie and all those she loved who went before her. Please squeeze Mommom and Poppop for us, and send all our love to Dad. Until we meet again, my Precious Mother. You made everything in my life beautiful. You taught me how to be a mother. And while there is pain that hurts, there is also pain that alters us forever. Losing a mother leaves a space that can never truly be filled. I love you, Mom. I will see you again.

Cora Lee Smith

August 11, 2026

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Cora Lee Smith

August 11, 2026

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