Irma Smith Cadle

Irma Lois Smith Cadle, age 76, of Greenbrier County, W.Va., passed away on Thursday, February 13, 2025 at her home in Alderson, W.Va., following a long illness.
Born June 6, 1948 in Crab Orchard, W.Va., she was one of eleven children and the daughter of the late Earl Stafford and Cledith Estelle Toney Smith. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four brothers, Harold Eugene Smith, Bernard Paul Smith, Dennis "Dennie" Ray Smith, and Earl Lewis "Lou" Smith; and three sisters, Sarita Faye Forren, Patricia Carol Hoke Sorrells, and Florence Charlene "June" Smith.
Irma's earliest memories were from Lewis School, a one room schoolhouse near Smoot when her family lived on Keeney Mountain. Lewis School later became a subject of one of her published books. She graduated from Alderson High School in 1965 where she met many lifelong friends. Irma went on to work for many government agencies including the EPA and USAID where she excelled and earned awards for her contributions. She raised her only devoted daughter, Sonia Smith Jones in northern Virginia. When she retired, she returned to her Greenbrier County home. In 2008 she married her devoted husband, Earnest Howard Cadle, whom she met at a Smoot School Reunion. In her later years, Irma was an avid quilter. She often completed imaginative colorful quilts in a week's time. She was also a book publisher and enjoyed researching local families' genealogy and was dedicated to preserving local Greenbrier County history, in which she published three books on these subjects. Irma was a tireless advocate for the restoration of the Blue Sulphur Springs Pavilion and was a member of The Friends of the Blue Committee. She was President of the Western Greenbrier Historical Society, a lifetime member of the Greenbrier Historical Society, President of the Cadle Historic Preservation Corp., and President of the Grassy Meadows Publishing Co. In 2024 Irma had a traumatic stroke from which she never fully recovered. Her family is in gratitude for the loving assistance she received from Kanawha Hospice Care of Lewisburg, and the Greenbrier County Committee on Aging.
Irma will be greatly missed by those that survive her; her husband, Earnest Howard Cadle of Grassy Meadows; her daughter, Sonia Smith Jones of Alderson; three sisters, Juanita "Nita" Gretchen Beverly of Spotsylvania County, Va., Shirley Marie Tolosa of Alderson, and Lillian Ethel Crane of Alderson; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.
Funeral services will be Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. at the Lobban Funeral Home Chapel in Alderson, W.Va., with the Rev. Sam Groves officiating. Burial will follow at the Alderson Cemetery in Alderson, W.Va. Friends may call Saturday, February 22, 2025 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Lobban Funeral Home in Alderson.
Family and friends will serve as pallbearers. Online condolences and memories may be shared with the Cadle family at www.lobbanfh.com. To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Irma, please visit our Tree Store.