Funeral services: will be held on Friday, January 9, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City.
Interment: will follow in the family lot of the Custer County Cemetery in Miles City.
Alberta K. Smith, age 79, of Miles City passed away on Monday, January 5, 2009 at the Holy Rosary Health Center in Miles City.
Alberta was born in Rush, Colorado on October 2, 1929, the daughter of John and Mildred (Bittinger) Knox. She grew up and attended grade school in Vollmer, Colorado and high school in Fort Lupton. Following high school, in the fall of 1947, she attended Colorado State University on a National Honor Society scholarship. She met Robert M. Smith on a blind date and they married on June 12, 1949 in Denver. Following their marriage, they moved to the newly purchased Smith Ranch Company in Rush, Colorado. At Rush, she refused to milk the cow, but she gardened, canned, and sewed clothes for her children, curtains for their house, and mended the canvas cover on the Army Weasel, all which she sewed on her 1929 Singer Sewing Machine, which she was still using. She was involved in raising kids, church activities and was President of Pikes Peak Cowbells. The family moved to Billings in 1969. While there Alberta kept busy in Newcomers Club, Sweet Adelineʼs, and volunteered as a Pink Lady at the hospital. Bob divided his time between the ranches in Miles City and Billings so in 1972 they bought a lot overlooking the golf course in Miles City and built a house, they moved into it right before Christmas. While in Miles City, Bob operated Smith Cattle Inc. until his death in 1998. Alberta loved Miles City and was involved in activities such as golfing, bridge, entertaining, and spending time with her many wonderful friends. She was a member of the South Eastern Montana Cattlewomen, was active in Republican Women, the Town and Country Club, the Miles City Club and was President of the Miles City Womenʼs Club. Multiple times she opened her house to the area house tour and hosted the Republican Women Christmas Tea. But her true local passion was the Custer County Art Center. She was involved from the beginning. Alberta spent time volunteering weekly, painting walls, building shelves and held various positions on the board. Her love was evident in the paintings and bronzes that she and Bob owned.
During her lifetime, she and Bob and later she and friends and family traveled extensively to countries such as Australia, South America, Russia, Greece, Africa, Middle East, China, Italy, Belize, England, and the Netherlands. Alberta, family and friends spent many a wonderful time at their timeshare in Mazatlan, Mexico through the years.
Alberta is survived by her mother, Mildred Ingersoll of Longmont, CO; two brothers: Jerry Knox of Denver, CO; and Keith (Lee) Knox of Denver, CO; a sister, Joan Warner of Longmont, CO; three daughters: Marcia Smith and her husband Anton TenWolde of
Madison, WI; Patricia Crockett and her husband Davy of Damascus, OR; Nancy Horn and her husband Tom of Cohagen, MT; a son, Dave Smith and his wife Jody of Miles City, MT; ten grandchildren: Cera Crockett, Morgan Crockett, Jessica Noble, Kirsten Horn, Lisa Horn, Dustan Smith, Jason Venn, Jesse Venn, Justin Venn, and Travis Venn; and five great grandchildren: Scott Noble, Taylor Noble, Logan Horn, Dustan Smith Jr., and Brekken Venn.
Should friends desire, memorials may be made to the Custer County Art Center or the charity of one's choice.
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