Katie Shine

The Legacy & Life of

Katie ‘Big Momma’ Shine

On June 11, 1933 in Newnan, Georgia, Robert and Mamie Smith celebrated the birth of their second oldest daughter, Katie Smith. Katie was the third child of their seven children. 

Robert moved his small family from Newnan, Georgia to the South side of Chicago, in the neighborhood, now known as Bronzeville. Katie accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized at Green Grove Baptist Church.

Kate attended the Chicago Public School’s Forrestville Elementary School and the Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable High School. There she blossomed into the young lady that caught the attention of Edward Shine. Katie and Ed were married on February 11, 1950.

Katie and Ed (who affectionately, called her ‘Bae’) raised their children, for eleven years in the CHA’s Henry Horner Homes and the Raymond Hilliard Homes, where they resided for the next eighteen years. Katie and Ed’s family was one of the founding families to move in the Hilliard Homes. Katie became an integral member of the community and was active on many of the neighborhood organizations. She formed friendships with several of the other mothers in the community that lasted a lifetime. Katie was elected President of the Local Advisory Council for the Hilliard Homes, responsible for assisting residents to empower themselves and better their lives. 

Katie’s dedication to her community continued when she landed a job with the Chicago Public Schools as the Lunchroom Manger at the John C. Haines Elementary Branch. Katie was adored and respected by her colleagues, some of whom, were also, lifelong friends. With this unwavering commitment to service, Katie became the Lunchroom Manger of The Chicago High School for Metropolitan Studies also known as “Metro, the school without borders”. 

Katie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Edward Sr., her son Edward Jr., her sister Roberta, her brothers Reese and Frederick, and two grandsons.

Katie leaves to cherish her memories, her children, Jacqueline, Renee, Marcia, Kathleen, Michael, Keith (LaTonya) and Courtney (Pier); her brother, Ernest; her sisters, Sarah and Delores; 18 grandchildren; 44 great grandchildren; 15 great-great grandchildren; her five God children, Veronica Floyd, Charles and Zelda Jenkins, Frederick Scott, Crystal Wilson and a host of nieces, nephews and friends who will and love and miss her, dearly.

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