LaVerne Smith

1921 - 2011

LaVerne Frances (Keller) Smith, 89, of Glendale, Ariz., and longtime former resident of Waverly, died Thursday, May 5, 2011.
Treasured wife, mother, grandma and aunt. Beloved wife for 58 years of the late Dr. James J. (J.J. or Doc) Smith. She is survived by five children, Mel Greenlee (husband, Tom Tompkins) of Berkeley, Calif., Patricia (husband, Charles R.) Boyce of Chatham, James Michael (wife, Susan Hessee) Smith of Champaign, Betty Jo Smith of Jacksonville and Timothy (wife, Eileen Regan) Smith of Chapel Hill, N.C.; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; beloved "little sister," Lorene (husband, Lester) Shearer of Frankfort, Kan.; and many nieces and nephews. LaVerne was preceded in death by her husband, J.J.; parents, Edward and Bessie (Szopenske) Keller; and brothers, Edward C., Wallace and Virgil.
LaVerne was born during November 1921, and grew up in Marshall County, Kan. After graduating from high school in Frankfort, Kan., she attended Topeka Business College, was one of the first to benefit from Civil Service Testing in Kansas and worked at the Department of Poultry Husbandry at Kansas State University.
She married James J. Smith on Sept. 24, 1943, in Manhattan, Kan. Upon her husband J.J.'s graduation from veterinary school at Kansas State in 1945, the couple moved to Waverly to set up a veterinary practice. For almost 50 years, LaVerne served as bookkeeper, scheduler, bill collector and all around organizer of her husband's veterinary practice, which is well chronicled in her entertaining book, The Cat's Meow. During J.J.'s long veterinary career, LaVerne rose to the presidency of the Auxiliary to the Illinois State Veterinary Association.
In Waverly, LaVerne was very active in the community, served as Girl Scout leader, taught Red Cross first aid and water safety, served as President of the PTA, was active on the committee which established special education in the school district and served on the County Board of Health and the Jacksonville Area Association for Retarded Children. For nearly 30 years, she taught Red Cross swim lessons each summer in Springfield, Jacksonville, or the Franklin Outing Club. LaVerne also taught piano lessons and served as organist for Saint Sebastian Church, Holy Rosary Church and Sacred Heart Church.
In 1990, LaVerne achieved her lifelong goal of earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield (formerly Sangamon State) at age 68. In addition, LaVerne achieved her lifetime dream of visiting all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. At UIS, she was awarded the Jacqueline Jackson Creative Writing Award in 2001. She spent her final years in Glendale, Ariz., swimming daily at the YMCA, participating in her church, St. Raphael's, and making many new friends who admired her warmth, energy and unfailing good spirit.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated 10 a.m. Friday at St. Sebastian Church in Waverly. Burial will be at St. Sebastian Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the Neece-Airsman-Hires Funeral Home in Waverly, with a prayer service being held at 4 p.m. Thursday. Memorial contributions can be made to: Pathway Foundation, 1201 South Main Street, P.O. Box 400, Jacksonville, IL 62651, or c/o the funeral home. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.airsman-hires.com.