Katherine Ridgley Arrel Smith
April 1, 1918-August 4, 2015
Katherine Ridgley Arrel Smith, 97, of La Porte, Indiana, passed away Tuesday, August 4, 2015, at Brentwood Living Center in La Porte.
Katherine was born April 1, 1918, in Poland, Ohio, to James Thaddeus and Mary Talbott (Ridgley) Arrel.
On July 3, 1943, she married her college sweetheart John E. Smith at Camp Lee, Virginia, who preceded her in death on Sept. 21, 2010, after 67 years of marriage.
She was a loving mom, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and great-great-aunt to her family. Surviving her are daughters Florence Love and Margaret Kelley, both of Atlanta, Georgia, and Jody (Douglas) Holloway of Akron, Ohio; grandchildren Hunter, Colton and Lillian Holloway, and Florence (Norman) Martin; great-granddaughter Samantha Katherine Martin of Atlanta; niece Elizabeth Wymer of Poland; nephew Arrel Doane, Charlotte, North Carolina; great-nephews Richard and Neville Robeson of Fort Myers, Florida, Carle Robeson of Poland, Todd Doane of Charlotte and David Doane of Sanibel Island, Florida; and great-great nephews Mike and Carle Robeson of Poland and Todd Doane Jr. of Charlotte.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; three sisters Margaret (Eddie) Doane, Elizabeth (James) Thompson and Isabelle (Bob) Wymer; nephews Thad and David Wymer; niece Ridgley (Carle) Doane Robeson; and foreign exchange student Cindy Meyers from South Africa.
Katherine graduated from Poland Seminary High School in Poland, Ohio. She also attended Southern Seminary College in Roanoke, Virginia, Youngstown State University and was a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education.
She began her teaching career in Poland, teaching in the same school she attended as a girl. She told stories of riding the bus to school with her students. She loved that class dearly as her niece Ridgley was in it. After the war, she and John returned to La Porte, where she began teaching first grade at Washington then moving to Riley Elementary. Katherine raised three girls, children of her heart, from childhood through adulthood.
Once the girls were leaving the nest, she decided to host foreign exchange students. Claiming she did not like such a quiet home, she and John welcomed into their hearts, home and family Lila Lennert of Greenland, Pia Olsen of Sweden, Raul Gonzalez of Paraguay and Dr. Jaime Lopez of Columbia while they attended their senior years at La Porte High School. She helped teach them about the American way of life, English and took them on trips around the country so they could see for themselves what a vast country we live in. She and John would later attend Lila's wedding in Greenland, a memory they dearly cherished.
Katherine's calling was teaching others. During her career, she taught first grade and, after retirement, she taught adults how to read and write. She was not one to let grass grow under her feet. She liked to be active and on the go. She was a past president and member of AAUW La Porte Chapter since 1948. She helped organize the Recent Graduates Group and became its first president. Katherine was a member of the La Porte Literacy Coalition, the John G. Blank Center of the Arts in Michigan City, and the La Porte County Historical Society. She was in many bridge groups throughout La Porte, playing bridge to bridgearama.
She loved a good card game. She never missed a La Porte Symphony performance or Travelogue. She was a member of Service League, Tri Kappa, Hunt Club, Shoe and Slipper Dance Club of South Bend, member of La Porte Presbyterian Church, First Christian Church, a Sunday School Teacher, a very active member of Riley Elementary PTA working many a fish fry and, the Indiana Retired Teachers Association. Her hobbies included traveling, reading, gardening, learning, watching sporting events,
attending Notre Dame Football games, going to Elder Hostels with her retired teaching buddies to learn more about the people of the area. They enjoyed hitting the open road and seeing America, and Canada. Her travels took her to each state in our fine country except for Hawaii. Many of their trips would rack up more than 2,000 miles. She had a zeal for life and was always looking forward to the next big adventure. She loved planning trips for every vacation and made sure her girls saw their country, by taking us to almost every state in the U.S.
Her love of family was always apparent with many trips, including one of her sisters and, the weekly writing of letters to her sisters to keep them up to date on her life. She will be greatly missed by her family.
We sincerely want to thank the Hospice staff for their dedication to our mom for the past year.
Friends will be received at Cutler's Funeral Home from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, August 10, 2015. There will be a Celebration of Life Service at 6 p.m. Monday, August 10, 2015, at Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center with Pastor Sally Wicks officiating. Private Burial will be held at a later date in Pine Lake Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the La Porte Literacy Coalition, 904 Indiana Ave., La Porte, IN 46350 or the Riley Elementary PTA, 516 Weller Ave., La Porte, IN 46350.
Condolences may be shared with the family online at www.cutlerfuneralhome.com.