SMITH, Lyle E. (1925-2019)

SMITH

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 11/27/2019 at 16:39:44

Lyle Elmer Smith
(February 2, 1925 - May 17, 2019)

On Friday, May 17, 2019, Lyle Elmer Smith, 94, passed away from a heart attack. Funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 22 at Motor Friends Church in rural Milo with burial following at Motor Friends Cemetery. Lunch will follow.
Lyle was born February 2, 1925 to Earl and Florence (Woods) Smith. His early years centered around Motor School, Motor Friends Church, farming, 4-H, neighbors and family. He graduated from high school in Milo where he played basketball and enjoyed math and physics. After high school his time at Simpson College was interrupted by World War II. He was called home to farm, but later was drafted and served briefly in Japan until his discharge in May 1947. He graduated from Simpson College in 1948 and later from Drake Law School.
On May 30, 1949 Lyle married Edna Pauline Hadley. In the following years, four children were born. In addition, it was not unusual for another family member, friend, or a foster child to live with them for a short time. After graduation from Drake, Lyle accepted a job with Iowa Farm Bureau Insurance in Clarinda, Iowa. In 1953, he worked one year as an attorney then accepted a job with Preferred Risk Mutual Insurance in Des Moines. He worked there for the next 31 years. He held positions as claims adjuster, assistant claims manager, worked in the legal department, and was working as General Counsel when he retired in 1985. Lyle and Edna lived in Des Moines from 1957 to 1977. The family has many pleasant memories of their years in Des Moines including many games of ball, family vacations and activities at Des Moines Friends Church. After the oldest three children had left home, Lyle and Edna decided to move back to the farm where Lyle grew up. They lived there until they moved to The Village in Indianola in 1991.
After retiring, Lyle and Edna enjoyed several trips including Belize, Kenya, England, Alaska, Mexico, Canada and trips with Friends Disaster Services. Lyle helped start Friends Development Fund for Iowa Yearly Meeting and worked for many years with Habitat for Humanity. As Edna’s health declined, Lyle lovingly assisted her until she passed away October 24, 2012. One of Lyle’s dreams in his later years was to share his vision of a peaceful community based on Christian principles. After retiring, he was motivated to write a book about his philosophy and get it into print. Whether it was writing, reading, working with his hands, serving on committees at church, playing basketball with his children and grandchildren, bowling and puzzles with others from the Village, or playing card games with the family on Sunday afternoons; Lyle kept active and productive to the end of life. His life was a testimony of Christian faith, love and service. He is survived by his children, Wayne Smith, Charlotte (Lloyd) Stangeland, James (Anita) Smith, Ronald (Deanna) Smith, seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and sister-in-law, Barb Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Edna (Hadley) Smith, and three brothers—Ival, Marvin and David.
Visitation will be held 5 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, May 21, 2019 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola. Memorials may be made to The Village Good Shepard Fund and the IAYM Friends Development fund.
This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/