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Photo of Louise E. (May) Smith

Louise E. (May) Smith

5/30/1915 - 1/10/2013


Obituary


Louise E. Smith, 97, of Kanawha passed away Thursday, January 10, 2013 at the Kanawha Community Home.

Funeral services for Louise Smith will be held on Monday, January 14, 2013 at 11:00 AM at the Kanawha United Methodist Church, 402 North Main Street in Kanawha with Pastor Tim Rieckhoff-Faris officiating.  Burial will be at Amsterdam Township Cemetery in Kanawha.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Monday.

Louise Ellen May was born May 30, 1915 in Menard County, Illinois, the daughter of John and Neva (Hughes) May.  Her family later moved to a farm in rural Corwith, where she grew up.

Louise attended country school and later attended school in Corwith and Kanawha, where she graduated at the age of 16.  Following graduation, she attended college in Nebraska for a semester before attending Britt Junior College.  She also studied a course from DePaul University.

Louise was united in marriage to Robert W. Smith on November 21, 1937.  Bob was a musician who played with several big bands in the Minneapolis area.  The couple lived in Belmond where Louise worked for the Belmond Independent doing general office work, bookkeeping, typing and other newspaper related jobs.  She also taught piano and organ to about 30 students over 19 years.  Later, she worked for the Kanawha Reporter as a typist and as the social news editor for many years.

Eventually, the couple farmed the May family farm until they retired and built a home in Kanawha.  During their retirement, Louise and Bob loved to travel, including trips to Europe and several cruises.  With their mutual love of music, they also enjoyed attending band events at the Surf Ballroom.  Bob passed away in July of 1984.

After a long friendship, Louise married Marcus Hoelscher at the Kanawha United Methodist Church on June 27, 1992.  The couple enjoyed a decade together before Marcus passed away in April of 2002.

On November 12, 2004, Louise married William L. Dahl at the Kanawha United Methodist Church.  The couple made their home in Kanawha.  In June of 2006, Louise entered the Kanawha Community Home where Bill visited her daily.

Louise was a longtime member of the Kanawha United Methodist Church, where she played organ on Sundays for many years.  In her earlier years, Louise loved to entertain and cook, she was fond of collecting recipes and having parties for friends to try out the newest dishes.

Louise is survived by her husband, Bill Dahl of Kanawha; grandchildren Heather (Scott) Nierman and Michael Smith, all of Rochester, Minnesota; great-granddaughter Sabrina Thompson and step-great-granddaughter Storme Nierman, both of Rochester.

Louise is preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert Smith, husband Marcus Hoelscher, her son Ronald Smith, and brothers Don and Bob May.