Rheta A. Smith (Hovey) - Obituary

I'm sorry to have to report another passing in our family. Rheta Smith, who was married to Aunt Mary's son, John, has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. Thank you to Mary Beth for letting us know. Here is Rheta's obituary.


Mrs. Rheta A. Smith (Hovey)
November 23, 1933 - March 13, 2012

Visitation:
March 18, 2012 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Williamson Funeral Home
1405 Lincoln Ave. Jacksonville, IL 62650

Services:
March 19, 2012 11:00am
Williamson Funeral Home
1405 Lincoln Ave. Jacksonville, IL 62650

Rheta A. Smith, 78, of Jacksonville, passed away Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at the South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, Alabama, with her family by her side. She was born November 23, 1933, in Loami, the daughter of Russell and Grace Johnson Hovey. She married John E. Smith on December 23, 1952 at Union Baptist Church near Pisgah, and he survives. She is also survived by four children, Robin (husband, Neil) Snelling, Rusty Smith, Doug (wife, Christy) Smith, and Susan (husband, Timm) Pennell, all of Jacksonville; nine grandchildren, Matt (wife, Aimee) Snelling, Ally and Andy Smith, Brandon (wife, Heather) and Andrew Miller, Adam Logue, Holly, Ethan, and Dillon Pennell; four great-granddaughters, Grace and Katie Snelling, Amelia Pennell, and Taylor Miller; four sisters, Virginia Edwards of Springfield, Joyce (husband, Jim) Crawford of Springfield, Martha Pippin of Greenview, and Kay (husband, Larry) Price of Springfield; several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Roger D. Hovey (surviving wife Janet of Springfield). Mrs. Smith graduated from Franklin High School in 1952. She worked for Jacksonville School District #117 for twenty-five years, most of those years as the school secretary at North Jacksonville Elementary. She was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church in Jacksonville. Mrs. Smith was a loving wife, devoted mother, and doting grandmother. She and John enjoyed spending their winters in Florida and their summers at the lake. When her children needed her, she was always there to give her love and support. She was the #1 Fan at each of her grandchildren’s sporting and school events. Rheta cherished her friends and family. She looked forward to her monthly “sisters luncheon”, enjoyed keeping in touch with her high school girlfriends, loved getting together with the same bunco group for over fifty years, and playing Scrabble, cards, or lawn games with the many friends she made while camping and traveling. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 19, 2012, at Williamson Funeral Home in Jacksonville, with burial at Diamond Grove Cemetery. The family will meet friends from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society or Centenary United Methodist Church. Condolences may be left to the family online at www.airsman-hires.com.

Witham Family History 2012

Hello, Withams!

Here are the latest developments for our Witham Family History project.

Unfortunately, the first two posts of this year were obituaries. That caused me to stop and think long and hard for awhile. While I didn't know Wendell, I sure wish I would have been able to contact him, talk to him, and interview him about his life and what he knows about our family.

I did know Uncle Ray and I took his passing harder than expected. While I know Uncle Ray had a full, blessed life, it reminded me that there are only 2 of my grandpa's siblings still with us. It was a stark reminder that their generation won't be with us forever and when they pass, a lot of information and family history passes with them. I was reminded, however, that out of all of Charlie Witham's kids (9 of them), the youngest one to pass away was Uncle Hank at the age of 74 - and that's with 5 brothers who all went to war. So, the Withams have some longevity about them, anyway, it seems. We're trying to gather some pictures of Uncle Ray so we can make a video memorial for the website. I'll be sure to pass that on if we're able to do it.

Uncle Ray was the leader for our family reunion. The reunion was important to Uncle Ray. He kept it going for many, many years. Uncle Ray was leading the reunion even way back in my teen years when I used to come to the reunions with my grandpa. That brings me to a question I've been getting a lot, lately.

So, what's going on with the reunion? As far as I know, someone will be taking over the responsibilities for the reunion. There are a few names being tossed around, but I don't want to give them out yet until I hear something definitive. I will make a post immediately as soon as I hear anything at all.

Aunt Myrtle's daughter, Charlene, has put together a family email list to make circulating important family news easier. If you want to get on her list, please email me or make a comment on this post to that effect and I will pass it on to Charlene so you can be included in family news.

This is our 79th blog post. This blog has really helped us attract other folks across the internet who are interested in Witham family history. We've made quite a few contacts who are distant relatives our ours, mainly descendants of Francis Calvin Witham's brothers. Expect to hear more about them as developments unfold.

It's also been fun to get emails from my distant cousins who are becoming more interested in our family history and want to know more.

Becky is hot on the trail of Catherine Bunch, Francis Calvin Witham's mother. So, expect some VERY interesting Catherine Bunch developments, too.

I'll be continuing my monthly interview phone calls with Aunt Marjorie. Aunt Marjorie is my grandpa's sister and one of only 2 remaining siblings he has. Aunt Marjorie's memory is as sharp as they come. I'm really enjoying talking to her. So far, we've discussed them growing up in Pisgah and we've talked a lot about Francis Calvin Witham. Next, we'll talk about Uncle Clay Witham, Grandma Mary Susan Witham, and her parents Charlie and Josie Witham. I'm still gathering and organizing information from her. When I get done talking to her about each subject, I'll organize it and post it to the family history blog and to Ancestry.com to share it with all of you.

I've also been able to reconnect with some members of my family, which is a terrific blessing! My Aunt Cyndy came to the reunion last year and brought her husband, Randy. Aunt Cyndy and I used to come to the reunions with my grandpa many years ago. This was our first reunion together without him there, which was emotional, but it was soooo good to see her there. I've also reconnected with her sister, my Aunt Cathy. I'm really enjoying talking to her and getting to know her better. It's been a real blessing to me! They also have another sister that I didn't know about, Aunt Michelle, who I recently met on Facebook.

Through Becky's efforts, we have recently met a professional genealogy researcher who does fantastic research work. We are talking about utilizing his expertise this year through paid research to see if we can break through some brick walls we have come up against. We'll keep you updated on that if we decide to move forward with it.

Please pray for Rheta Smith. She is married to Aunt Mary's son, Johnny. She is in the hospital and in need of prayers.

Stay tuned for more Witham family history coming soon...

~Mike