SMITH, Letha Irene

SMITH, SMALL, STIER, BERGE, ROSS WILLIS, KLUMPP, JOHNSON, GRESHOFF, RADKE, SCHOLL

Posted By: Lynette Edsall (email)
Date: 11/24/2008 at 07:58:04

LETHA I. SMITH

LETHA IRENE (SMALL) SMITH, 90, of Aurelia, Iowa and former long time Afton Township resident, passed away Friday, November 21, 2008 at the Sunset Knoll Care and Rehab Center in Aurelia.

Funeral services will be held Tuesday, November 25th, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Rev. Magrey deVega will officiate. Burial will be in the Afton Township Cemetery, rural Cherokee. There will be a family prayer service at 1:15 p.m. at the Church on Tuesday. Visitation will be on Sunday from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and on Monday from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee with the family present from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Monday evening. On line condolences may be sent to www.boothbyfuneral.com

Letha was born September 10, 1918 in rural Peterson, Iowa to Ira S. and Iva E. (Stier) Small. She attended Brooke Consolidated Schools. She was married to George A. Smith on December 31, 1938 at Elkton, South Dakota. Letha had lived in Afton Township since she was 20 years old. She and her husband farmed and raised her family on the family farm. She entered Sunset Knoll Care and Rehab Center in April of 1998. She was a member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church for over 60 years. She was a member of the WSCS and the Church Circle, the Women’s Relief Corp, the Degree of Honor, TOPS and KOPS, Afton Community Club and the Cherokee Flying Club. She enjoyed collecting dolls, taking pictures and traveling.

She was preceded in death by her father Ira in 1966, her mother Iva Small in 1992, her husband George in 1988, her son Floyd “Swede” Smith in 1997, a step great grandson Andrew “Andy” Berge, a sister and brother-in-law Iola and Maynard V. Ross, a brother Harold “Bud” Small, and a brother-in-law Lowell “Butch” Willis.

She is survived by six children: Bonnie J. (Klumpp) Lewis and her husband Gary of Aurelia, Iowa; Ruby R. Johnson and her husband Larry of Cherokee, Iowa; Edward Smith and his wife Patty of Cherokee, Iowa; Doris Grashoff and her husband Rusty of Cherokee, Iowa; Roberta Radke and her husband Dennis of Alta, Iowa; John Smith and his wife Lynette Smith of Cherokee, Iowa; a daughter-in-law Carlen Smith of Storm Lake, Iowa; 19 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, 5 step-great grandchildren; one sister and two brothers: Gladys Willis of Yuba City, California; Donald Small and his wife Virginia of Nashville, Tenn., Larry Small and his wife Wilma of Spirit Lake, Iowa; and two sisters-in-law Ruth Small of Sioux Rapids, Iowa; Mary Lou Scholl of Donna, Texas; also many nieces, nephews, neighbors and friends.