Obituary of Mabel Smith

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 10:30am at United Methodist Church in Terril, Iowa. Burial will be at Crown Hill Cemetery in Ruthven. Visitation will begin at 9:00am on Tuesday at the church. Mabel Whitford Hanson Smith was born on a farm near Graettinger, Iowa on May 29, 1911 to Henry and Grace Ann Brown Whitford. She grew up on a farm near Ruthven and was educated at Lake Center School. On May 10, 1927 Mabel was married to Gustaf Hanson. They had eight children, Arlene, Wayne, Pauline, Corine, Evelene, Charles, Geraldine and Gary. Gus and Mabel farmed many years near Ruthven before purchasing a farm near Terril in 1939. Mabel enjoyed crocheting, gardening and baking her homemade cinnamon rolls which were enjoyed by everyone in the community. In 1954, Mabel and Gus moved to Terril where Mabel worked in the café and the grocery store. She also worked at Berkley's in Spirit Lake for nine years.After Gus died in 1975, Mabel was remarried to Merwin Smith on May 20, 1980. They were members of the Methodist Church. In 1992, they moved to Spencer. Mabel passed away May 22, 2014 at Longhouse Residence in Spencer, Iowa at one hundred and two years of age. She is survived by seven children, Arlene Jacobsen of Spencer, Iowa Pauline Fitch of Phoenix, Arizona, Corine Herman of Waterloo, Iowa, Evelene Maas of Terril, Iowa, Charles Hanson of Prescott Valley, Arizona, Jeraldine Green of Milford, Iowa and Gary Hanson of Corvalis, Montana; twenty two grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Preceding her in death were her parents; her two husbands; son, Wayne Hanson; two grandchildren; two brothers and two sisters.