Helen M. Smith

Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 23rd at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home

Interment:2:00 p.m. Friday at Forestvale Cemetery

Helen May Wood Smith, age 98 passed away peacefully at The Rocky Mountain Care Center on July 19, 2010. Born in Helena, Montana, April 11, 1912.

Helen was the first born of eight children to George T. Wood and Clara M. Wade Wood. She attended Helena public grade schools and completed her freshman year at the, then, newly constructed Helena High School. Hard times forced her to abandon her education to care for her younger siblings. Truly a survivor, Helen endured The Great Depression of the 1930's and witnessed, first hand, the devastation of her beloved hometown following the earthquake in October, 1935.

At the age of 18, Helen married Stanley G. Smith on November 3, 1930. Between 1931 and 1950, the couple was blessed with four children. Always thinking of others before herself, she was devoted to her husband, her family and her friends. Hard as it was, Stanley always found work during the depression and later became employed with The Northern Pacific Railroad as a signal maintainer. During this time, the family transferred from town to town and Helen often had only a day's notice to pack up her children and her household. Holding onto only the bare essentials, she operated a simple home, often without electricity, hot water, or indoor plumbing.

She knew hard work and hard times; there were no frills for this homemaker. She mastered cooking and baking with a wood cook stove; she washed her family's laundry using a washboard or wringer washer, a clothesline, and a flat iron for pressing. Helen loved to challenge anyone to a card game of Rummy, as long as they played by her "rules." She loved to read, crochet, embroider, and care for children. She worked for Foot's Day Care for years, taught church school and was employed in Helena by both St. John's and St. Peter's hospitals in central service, before retiring. In addition to her devotion to family, Helen loved The Lord and all of His creations. Prior to her residence stay at the care center, she made her home with her oldest son, Dean, and his wife, Kathy, in the beautiful mountains of Montana, outside of Heron.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and all of her brothers and sisters (Alice, Dorothy, Georgia, Beryl, Ilene, Byron, and Terry), and grandson Philip Clark.

Helen is survived by her four children, Betty Lou
Clark Mockel and husband, John, of Townsend; Stanley Dean Smith and wife, Kathy, of Heron; Gary Wade Smith and wife, Shirley, of Liberty Lake, WA and; Marjorie Lynn Smith of Helena. She is survived also by 14 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and many others in her extended family. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by all.

A funeral service celebrating Helens life will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 23rd at Anderson Stevenson Wilke Funeral Home. A reception will be held at the East Helena United Methodist Church immediately following the funeral service. The burial service will then be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday at Forestvale Cemetery.