Alyce L. Smith

1920 - 2020

Alyce L. Smith

Stevens Point - Alyce Louise Smith, age 100, of Stevens Point, passed away October 21, 2020 due to COVID-19 at Brookdale Senior Living in Stevens Point, WI.

Alyce was born August 10, 1920 to John and Gertrude (Van Tuinen) Oosterhouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She grew up on the farm as oldest of 7 children. At age 7, she drove the horses hitched to the hay wagon and through much of her youth looked after her siblings.

Alyce attended a one room school for grades 1 through 8, skipping 3rd and 6th grades because she was the only one in that class. She was 10 when she graduated from the 8th grade. For 9th grade, she attended Seymour Christian School riding with her Aunt Rose who taught there; a distance of 10 miles from home. She spent a year helping at home before attending high school. She attended Grand Rapids Christian High School for grades 10-12 and worked for her room and board at a different private home each year while school was in session. She was 16 when she graduated in 1937.

Alyce studied nursing at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan with 'internships' at Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids and Ford's Children Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She worked as a Registered Nurse at the University Hospital in Ann Arbor for 9 years before marrying David Lyle Smith in The Christian Reformed Church Chapel at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on June 6, 1952 on David's birthday. They were married for 68 years.

While successfully raising a family of 5 children and moving to Stevens Point, Wisconsin in 1967, Alyce returned to nursing at the Student Health Service at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point for one year. Jobs followed at the Portage County Health Center, Rivers Pines, and Ministry Home Care Hospice. Alyce retired after she broke her hip.

Alyce volunteered for different organizations, including the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors and the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers. She was a part of the University Women Knit and Stitch and Lunch Bunch groups and was a member of the Presbyterian Woman at Frame Memorial Presbyterian Church. She was an ardent crossword puzzle solver. She enjoyed visiting with people, cooking, trying out new recipes and traveling in Europe and Florida.

Survivors include her husband, David Smith of Stevens Point; children, C Matthew (Jan) Smith of Jacksonville, IL, Markalan (Ann) Smith of Appleton, WI, Elizabeth (Randy) Meyer of Hot Springs, SD, Leigh (Beth) Smith of Stevens Point, WI, Stuart (Tammy) Smith of Pelham, AL; brothers: Gerard Oosterhouse of Grand Rapids, MI, Donald (Marlene) Oosterhouse of Grand Rapids, MI; grandchildren, Tivon Swenson of Fort Wayne, IN, Kristen (Nick) Souza of Pleasant Hill, IA, Amy (Zach) Barrett of Zionsville, IN, David Smith of Scottsdale, AZ, Collin Smith of Stevens Point, WI, Lauren Smith of Minneapolis, MN, Lindsey and Nicholas Smith of Pelham, AL; and great-grand children: Jazzmyne and Alexa Swenson of Fort Wayne, IN, Bradley and Benjamin Barrett of Zionsville, IN, and Charlotte Souza of Pleasant Hill. IA.

She is preceded in death by her parents, sisters Leona Holkeboer, Henrietta Oosterhouse, & Joanne Oosterhouse, and brother: John Edward (Arlene) Oosterhouse, Jr.

She will be missed as wife, sister, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.

Alyce's family would like to thank Brookdale Senior Living for their dedicated care during her stay in Memory Care and Heartland Hospice for providing comfort in her final days.

In lieu of flowers, consider donating to the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra (cwso.org) or Deeds for Needs in Portage County (formerly Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers.) in Alyce's memory. Donations can be mailed to:

Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra - 800 Main St. Stevens Point, WI 54481 or Deeds for Needs in Portage County - Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church - 3210 Maple Street, Plover, WI 54467.