Obituary of Gloria Smith

Gloria Ann Smith was born in Sioux Rapids, Iowa to Herman and Della Mae (Luke) Johnson. Gloria Ann passed from this life on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 at the age of 86. She was proud of her Iowa roots in that Iowa joined the Union in the Civil War. She was an avid reader and enjoyed politics and current events. Always a champion for the underdog, Gloria was a civil rights advocate during the Civil Rights Movement and a great Abraham Lincoln admirer. She was a Depression-era hero of the Greatest Generation and a proud "yellow dog Democrat." Gloria was a skilled seamstress and talented artist. She was a devoted wife and nurturing mother who baked gourmet cookies as a homeroom mother and served as scorekeeper for little league baseball. Gloria went to work at the age of 60 at Calico Corners, an interior fabric store, and retired at the age of 80, satisfying a successful career. Above all, she was known for her beautiful smile, warm heart and boundless love for family. She was preceded in death by her parents and sisters, Virgene Johnson and Leota Blankenship. The day before her passing, she and her husband, Nelson, celebrated 70 years of marriage. She is also survived by her children, Lisa Smith and Ward Smith and daughter-in-law, Tracey Smith; granddaughter, Gloria Jean Smith; brothers-in-law, Jim Blankenship and Jack Cole; a sister-in-law, Arlene Smith; nephews, Tom Gann, Chuck Walker, Jeff Smith, Scott Adams, Patrick and Jack Blankenship and nieces, Kathy Perez, Suzanne Niblock and Heather Murphy.