TEARS flowed at the funeral of much-loved councillor Val Smith yesterday as her husband said she would want more people to do good in the world.

About 700 people came to pay their respects to Mrs Smith, who died on Friday, May 15, after a long battle with cancer.

A familiar figure on the Blackbird Leys estate where she lived, Mrs Smith was a city councillor for 24 years and a county councillor since 2005.

Husband Andrew Smith, MP for Oxford East, spoke at the service, in the Church of the Holy Family, in front of councillors, politicians, friends, family and residents of the Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys estates.

He told those gathered: “She would not want us sat being sad for too long. She would want us out there making the world a better place, enjoying everything we can.

“She would want us making a difference and helping other people.”

There were more mourners than the church could cope with, with almost 100 watching the funeral via video link in a marquee outside.

Council workers closed Blackbird Leys Road and Cuddesdon Way, re-routing traffic and buses to allow the procession through.

Mr Smith said: “Val’s death leaves such a void for me and our family, but your joining in our grief and love for Val does help.

“You all meant so much to Val and your support has been so steadfast, as we knew it would be.

“She had known hardship and pain but she spent her life radiating joy.”

Mrs Smith was adopted at the age of three and grew up in Salford.

Before her marriage to Mr Smith in 1976, Mrs Smith had a daughter, Tasha, who died of leukaemia when she was just four years old.

Choking back tears, Mr Smith said: “She was fun and she was fierce.

“She was brave and loyal and never afraid to be the odd one out in confronting an uncomfortable truth.

“She was a wonderful, loving, wise and proud mother and grandmother.

“In a world so short of time she always had time for people.

“Val, you leave behind the deepest love that will be with you always.”

As he took his seat, applause rang out both inside and outside the church.

The service, which featured the hymns Morning Has Broken and We Shall Overcome, was conducted by family friend and Watlington Canon Tony Williamson.

As the cortege had entered the church, the building was filled with song, from a chorus of Blackbird Leys schoolchildren singing Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World.

Head of the Blackbird Academy Trust Jill Hudson said the song had been recorded especially for the funeral.

Mrs Smith’s close friend and fellow Labour councillor Liz Brighouse also read a tribute, revealing that Mrs Smith had outlived her initial prognosis by six months.

She said: “Even when confronted with a life that was severely diminished by her illness, she continued to send us emails.

“She would tell us to do more with our weekends than just canvas, and she said she enjoyed a wonderful Christmas, despite having back pain.

“She joked that things were good for someone who was supposed to die in October.

“It’s a joy to have Val in our lives, we shall make sure that torch of life burns brightly.”

Applause broke out again as the cortege left the church for a private committal at the Oxford Crematorium, with the congregation lining the streets.

It was followed by a wake at the Blackbird Leys Community Centre.

Donations in Mrs Smith’s memory can be made to Action on Bladder Cancer c/o The Co-operative Funeralcare in Balfour Road.

City Council leader Bob Price’s tribute

Bicester Advertiser:

“However we knew Val, the thing that unites us and brings us here today is we all felt that she was our friend. 

“She was someone with whom we could share our concerns and turn to for advice and guidance. 

“She was someone we could trust to do her absolute best. 

“Val has committed herself to the estate in so many different ways, reflecting her deep, personal understanding for the struggles faced by people in their everyday working lives. 

“To say she was hardworking does not do her justice.

“She always provided ordinary people with a voice and she was a formidable champion. 

“Her good sense of humour made it fun to be with her and a good ally in a debate. 

“If you made the mistake of taking a different point of view she was an impressive opponent. 

“Val’s passing is a deeply personal loss.

“She was quite simply an outstanding human being.”