116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Stuart Smith-Dromey
STUART SMITH-DROMEY
Cedar Rapids
Beloved husband Stuart J. Smith-Dromey, 64, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, near his home.
He will be greatly missed. He was a charming, loveable Irish rascal, with plenty of friends and plenty of opinions. His friends would agree that one of Stu's chief talents was the ability to make you laugh. His wonderful sense of humor and his sometimes irreverent but kindly attitude made him a memorable soul.
Stu was born Sept. 4, 1949, in Tipperary, Ireland, son to Jimmy and Maggie (Doherty) Dromey. He would tell some wonderful tales about Ireland and summers spent on his Uncle Aimon's farm, although his parents moved to London shortly after his birth.
Together with brothers Jerry and James, he learned to love sports, especially rugby, and played in a semi-pro rugby league for a couple of years. One love later in life was football, and he developed a fondness for Chelsea and followed the team closely.
He was very active in the Labour Party as a young man and also worked on the railway in London. He was a history buff and a voracious reader.
He arrived in the United States in the mid-1970s, accompanying his first wife and their son, Joe Dromey (named after Stu's grandfather), but was divorced in the 1980s, and sadly, lost touch with his
son whom he never saw again.
Stu was a graduate of the University of Iowa, with a degree in
labor relations, which he earned in three years while working fulltime.
Stu married Jo(anna) Smith in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 14, 1987. Both joined GEICO in Coralville in 2002 and Stu remained there until his death.
Stu is survived by spouse, Joanna Smith-Dromey; brother, James; son, Joseph; and a myriad of in-laws, nieces and nephews of whom he was very fond.
A casual memorial gathering celebrating this remarkable man will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories, preceded by visitation from 2 to 3 p.m. Julie Freese, certified Cedar Memorial celebrant, will conduct the service. Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home is assisting the family.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Stu's name.
Online condolences may be left at www.cedar
memorial.com under
"obituaries."
Daily Newsletters