Obituary for Cecilia R. (Cook) Smith

Cecilia R. Smith, 98, of Portland, passed away peacefully with family at her side on Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Hastings, MI.

Cecilia was born on February 26, 1923 in Pewamo, MI., the first of seven children born to Anthony and Anna (Esch) Cook. In her early adult years, she worked at the AC Spark Plug factory in Ionia as part of the WWII effort. On May 14, 1946, Cecilia married the love of her life, Carl Peter Smith, who preceded her in death in 2004 after 58 years of marriage. May 14, 2021 was their 75th wedding anniversary. Cecilia lived her life as a mother and homemaker, was a member of Portland St. Patrick Catholic Church and was a member of the Altar Society. She will be remembered for her love of beautiful music, reading, baking, and gardening. Her solid Catholic faith and commitment to marriage and family were well known to those who knew her. Cecilia asked that it be noted that her favorite class in school was art.

Cecilia was preceded in death by her husband, Carl; daughter, Annette Fetzer; siblings, Jane Wirth, Gladys Refsynder, Rosaline Schmitz, Joseph, Gerald, and Benedict Cook; sisters and brothers-in-law, Richard J. and Betty Smith, Matthew and Evelyn Kramer, Bernard and Harriet Pohl, Paul and Lucille Fedewa; brothers-in-law, Charles Wirth, Fredrick Schmitz, Richard Refsnyder; sisters-in-law, Georgia Cook and Connie Cook.

Surviving are her children, Agnes (William) Fedewa of Shelby Twp., Mary Ann (John) Augst of Sunfield, Loretta (Thomas) Schelter of East Lansing, and Ronald (Patricia) Smith of Grand Ledge; son-in-law, Thomas Fetzer of Portland; 8 grandchildren; 2 step-grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; in-laws, Rhesa Cook and Susan Cook; and many nieces and nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 120 Church Street, Portland with Cecelia’s grandson, Rev. Eric Fedewa officiating at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Rite of Committal will follow at Portland Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Monday from 3-7 p.m. at the Lehman Funeral Home, 210 E. Bridge Street, Portland and one hour prior to the mass on Tuesday. A rosary will be prayed at 3:30 p.m. on Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Portland St. Patrick’s Fr. Flohe Foundation or the Ionia County Commission on Aging in memory of Cecilia R. Smith. For those unable to attend, the Funeral Mass will be livestreamed on the Lehman Funeral Homes – Portland Facebook page beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Online condolences may be made at www.lehmanfuneralhomes.com.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Thornapple Manor Nursing Facility in Hastings, where Cecilia spent her final years, for their loving devotion and care for her.