Smith, Ethel M.

Ethel M. Smith, 93, of Manchester died Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, at the Good Neighbor Home of natural causes. Funeral services: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Bohnenkamp-Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Family will greet friends from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home, and one hour before services on Saturday. Burial: Pineview Cemetery, Delaware.

Ethel was born March 9, 1916, the daughter of Harry and Eunice (Christopher) Meader. Ethel attended school in Clayton & Delaware Counties. On Aug. 2, 1936, she was united in marriage to Doran Smith at the Gospel Hall in Manchester.

Ethel was a farmwife and professional photographer. She became interested in photography as a retoucher of negatives for various photographers and painting sepia-toned photographs as well. This led to her becoming a professional photographer, attending various conferences, seminars and photography schools. All this while being a farm wife and mother. As Ethel Smith Studio, she photographed babies, graduates, weddings, family groups and anniversaries - too numerous to count throughout Central and Eastern Iowa for nearly 35 years. One of her talents was heavy oil painting. Ethel also enjoyed quilting, gardening, flowers, cooking and sharing it with others.

Ethel is survived by four children, Nancy (Pete) Venenga of Grundy Center, LaVon Luck of Beebe, Ark., Lynn Smith (Brenda Lange) of Earlville and LeMoine Smith of Cedar Rapids; nine grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; one brother, Robert (Ila) Meader of Cedar Rapids; one sister-in-law, Viola Meader; brothers- and sisters-in-law, Donald Smith, Belle Gentz, Corrine (Ronnie) Borrett, Betty (Willis) Conrad, Emma Kennedy and Ruth (Ray) Moser.

Ethel was preceded in death by her husband, Doran Smith; her parents, Harry and Eunice Meader; four brothers, Levi, Bill, Ed and Marvin Meader; one grandchild, Carol Lynn Smith; son-in-law, LuVern Luck; and a grandson-in-law, Jeff Thier.

Please sign the online guest book for Ethel at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.