Edith M. Smith

Edith Marie Smith, age 96 years, beloved mother, grandmother and sister, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 in the comfort of knowing she was going to join her Lord and Savior, as well as her husband, John, her parents William and Alma Metzger, three sisters and four brothers. Born September 6, 1920 in Remus, Michigan, and raised in Gaylord Edith lived in Detroit and Chicago before settling in Vassar. Her family and friends will remember her as a tireless worker for the American Cancer Society and the Vassar Historical Society, a baker of delicious pies and cookies, an avid Detroit Tigers' fan, a soprano in St. Luke's Church choir and the Musical Mamas, and a devoted member of her church for over 70 years. Edith was always proud of her high school accolades in oration and declaiming and her saxophone-playing, her work during WWII with the team building the B-29 bombers, and her 30 years as a teller for the State Bank of Vassar. Honoring her friends with cards to acknowledge their birthdays, anniversaries and other markers of life was a mission Edith also enjoyed. She sent thousands of cards throughout her lifetime. Her children remember her strength, steadfastness and love, her love of reading, poetry and singing, and how joyful it was to work and play with mom. She is already missed by her children and their spouses, Brian and Christie Smith of Grand Ledge, Michigan and Jon and Dee Stamats of Kalamazoo and Caro; three grandchildren and their spouses and five great-grandchildren, as well as a brother, Lyle Metzger of Florida. Funeral service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 28, 2017 at St. Luke's Ev. Lutheran Church in Vassar. Pastor James Plocher officiating, with interment to follow at Riverside Cemetery in Vassar. The family will greet friends on Thursday, April 27, 2017 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Penzien-Steele Funeral Home, 149 N. Main St. in Vassar. Edith will be taken to the church on Friday morning and visitation will continue from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Luke's Ev. Lutheran Church of Vassar, the American Cancer Society or the Forget-Me-Not Society of the Tuscola County Medical Care Facility.