Eileen B. (Lewerke) Smith

Eileen B. (Lewerke) Smith, 94 of Britt passed away Thursday, November 25, 2021 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City.

Funeral services for Eileen Smith will be held on Monday, November 29, 2021 at 10:30 AM at Bethel Baptist Church, 480 Main Avenue North in Britt with Pastor Greg Baum officiating.

Visitation for Eileen Smith will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 PM on Sunday, November 28, 2021 at Ewing Funeral Chapel, 178 Center Street West in Britt and will continue one hour prior to the funeral at the church on Monday.

Eileen Berniece Lewerke was born June 6, 1927 to Harm and Jennie (Mulder) Lewerke in Gordonsville, Minnesota. She was the youngest of ten children, and the family moved where farm work presented itself. Her father died when Eileen was 3 years old, and the family settled in the Britt area, where she attended country schools and later, Britt public schools.

Eileen was united in marriage to Clifford Smith on November 16, 1951. Eileen followed Cliff as he moved around the country as he served in the United States Air Force during Korea, and they made their home in Minneapolis where she was employed at a drycleaners before they moved to Mason City, where Eileen was employed at Clifton’s Grocery in the meat department. In her younger years before marriage, she did egg candling, worked at the hemp plant, and worked alongside family in the onion fields.

More than anything, Eileen wanted to be a mother, and after ten years suffering from a broken heart, her life’s work was realized as the couple were blessed with daughters Kay and Jo through adoption.

Eventually, Eileen and Cliff moved their young family to Britt, where Cliff was employed by Britt Tech, serving as Vice President of Manufacturing. Again, Cliff’s position required travel and also brought many visitors from around the globe to the Smith home for dinners. Eileen was the consummate hostess and served countless meals to these many visitors and accompanied Cliff on business trips when she was able to. She was truly the proverbial woman behind the successful man.

Eileen was a talented musician, she loved to sing and played piano by ear. She became the family photographer, having taken thousands of pictures of family members and friends throughout a variety of gatherings. She was a talented seamstress, having made clothes, draperies and prom dresses for the girls, along with a variety of crafts and a scale model of the family home, complete with shingles and matching furnishings in meticulous detail.

Eileen was tapped to play Marian the Librarian on a float in the Mason City Band Festival Parade alongside Robert Preston and a young Ron Howard as a promotion for the movie version of The Music Man. She was never shy and fiercely defended her children when necessary. Most of the time, she was known as one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet.

Eileen was a longtime member of Bethel Baptist Church in Britt, where she was the communion stewardess for many years as well as a Sunday School teacher and helped with Awana’s. She spoke Dutch, her first language, fluently, and was able to help translate for a family at the hospital in Britt once.

Eileen is survived by her daughters Kay Brooks and her husband, Ron, and Jo Miller and her husband, Matthew; grandchildren Alyssa (Tim) Hahn, Adam (Alexandria) Allen, Jacob Miller, Grace Miller and Benjamin Miller; great-grandchildren CJ Allen, Lane McKinney, Kaci Allen and Riker Allen; her sister Jennie Forshee; along with other extended family members and friends.

Eileen is preceded in death by her parents; husband of nearly 70 years, Cliff; sisters Ella Bergman, Susan McClain, Gertrude Smidt and Rose Brunsen; and brothers Pete Lewerke, Jake Lewerke, Elzo Lewerke and Harm Lewerke.