Mabel (Schreiber) Smith (2008)

SCHREIBER, SMITH, KILTS, SCHMITT, DAVIS, WETZEL, OMAN

Posted By: Ida Morse, volunteer (email)
Date: 5/10/2009 at 11:33:48

Des Moines Register, April 29, 2008
Des Moines, Iowa

MABEL SMITH
Hampton

Mabel Smith, 83, formerly of Woodward, passed away on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at her apartment in Hampton, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, at Woodward Christian Church of which she was an active member. Graveside services will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, at Murray Cemetery, in Murray, Iowa.

She was born Mabel Schreiber on June 24, 1924 at Britt, Iowa. When she was a young child, her family moved to southern Iowa, where they lived at several locations in Madison County.

She and Arthur Smith were married in Bethany, Missouri in 1940. Their marriage was blessed with three daughters, Judith, Jean, and Jane. They farmed in Clarke and Madison Counties until 1960, when they moved to Woodward and took jobs at the Woodward State Hospital and School.

Starting as a ward attendant on the afternoon shift, Mabel advanced steadily to a supervisory position during her 26 years of employment there. Her greatest pleasure was spending time with friends and relatives. Mabel was also a member of various clubs including the Lions Club, and enjoyed the friendships and activities at the Woodward Social Center.

When her health became a major concern, she left Woodward in 2006 to live in a senior-living apartment near her daughter Jane in Hampton, Iowa.

She is survived by two daughters, Jean (Michael) Kilts of Eatonville, WA and Jane (Jeryl) Schmitt of Hampton, IA; son-in-law, Keith Davis of Ft. Dodge, IA; brothers, Everett Schreiber of Bloomington, IL and Cecil "Bud" Wetzel of Peru, IA; four grandsons, three granddaughters, five great-grandsons and two great-granddaughters; a friend of the family whom she considered to be "another daughter", Theresa Oman of West Des Moines; and a vast multitude of other relatives and friends who will all miss her terribly. Mabel was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Smith; one daughter, Judith Davis; and two brothers and two sisters.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at Iles Funeral Homes – Brandt Chapel in Woodward. Memorials may be made to Woodward Christian Church.

"May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."