Lois Ada Smith
1936 - 2017
The weight of the world left the shoulders of Revelstoke resident, Lois Ada Smith, as she passed away in peace at the age of 81 years on the morning of July 28th under the compassionate care of staff at Shuswap Lake Hospital in Salmon Arm. Lois had moved to Revelstoke in 2007 to be nearer to family members and grandchildren after most had drifted away from Valemount B.C. where she had lived for over forty years. In Valemount, with her husband Ray, a logging contractor, she raised a family of four who went on to provide her with twelve grandchildren and, in recent years, four great-grandchildren. In Revelstoke Lois had purchased a small house in a central location where, as long as her health and strength permitted it, she could be found walking, rather than driving, for all her local travel needs and became known as “The Lady who walks and stops to talk with everyone on the way”. She thrived in this friendly and beautiful community where she was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic church and has spent much time tutoring at a local elementary school and making and keeping friends from every walk of life.
Life started for Lois on February 22nd. 1936, born to Clyde and Crystal Block in Hanna Alberta. She had one older brother, Gale, and one younger sister Lorraine. The family was forced off of their land in that area when she was very young by successive years of depression-era crop failures and settled on a plot of land at Bluffton Alberta near the larger town of Rimbey. Here, working daily on the family farm with the man she admired most in life, her father, a strong bond with the land and a farming lifestyle developed.
Attending a small one room school in Bluffton and high school in Rimbey, she excelled, finishing two years early then attended University in Calgary where she completed an abbreviated teaching program and was teaching back in the small school at Bluffton before reaching the age of nineteen. Marriage to Raymond Smith came shortly thereafter and the teaching career was given up to raise a family. Doug was born to them in 1955. The small family moved from Alberta to B.C. settling at Carrol Brother’s Lumber Camp at Small River in 1956. Daughter, Elaine, was soon born, then son, Stanley, in 1961 and another, Steven, three years later. The move to Valemount in 1964 lead to Lois, her husband and family becoming a long term, respected, fixture in the logging industry of that area.
At several points during the Valemount years Lois took into her home, and provided stability for, children from families experiencing difficulties and various young men seeking a little direction in life. She had for everyone, a sympathetic ear, a warm heart and the willingness to help correct any moral compass going astray. Meeting new people, cultivating friendships, long walks, and practicing her unwavering Christian faith were some of the things Lois enjoyed most in life. She also had a keen intellectual mind with varied interests and a love for conversation and debate on subjects such as politics, religion, science and morality.
At the time of her passing, Lois was the only surviving member of the family she was born into and had been predeceased by her husband, her youngest son, her only daughter, two grandchildren in infancy and her daughter-in-law Susie. With his wife, Susie, eldest son, Doug, now of Kamloops, gave her eight grandchildren: Laura, Ryan, Jared, Greg, Sonia, Cara, Mary and Kevin. Laura married Tyler Quinn and provided great-grandchildren Mya, Aria and Elly. Grandchildren from Stan and his wife, Nadine, in Revelstoke are Emily, Jacob, Isaac, and Adam. The last great-grandchild, Grace was recently born to Emily and husband Kris Robinson. Son-in-law Chris Clement of Calgary and daughter-in-law Cathy Tetarenko of Kamloops also morn her passing.
Funeral services will take place place at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Revelstoke at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 4th. Interment of her cremated remains will be in the Valemount Cemetery at a later date yet to be determined. A small service and intimate gathering to celebrate her life will be held at that time.
The family wishes to thank the doctors and staff at Queen Victoria Hospital and at Shuswap Lake Hospital for the care they provided as well as Father Cecil and Claudette Kendel of Revelstoke for the unselfish comfort they provided.
Anyone wishing to honour the legacy of Lois may do so by providing support and guidance for a child who has lost a parent, feeding and sheltering a homesick young traveller, visiting a friend in failing health, or lending a patient ear to someone who just needs someone to listen.
Messages of sympathy may be sent to Lois’ family by viewing her obituary at www.brandonbowersfuneralhome.com.