Services
Obituary
Margreta V. Smidt, age 95, passed away peacefully on Friday, May 8, 2015, at the Christian Rest Home in Grand Rapids. Family surrounded her as she passed from this life to her eternal rest.
A family committal service will be on Thursday, May 21, 2015, in the Ramsey Reformed Church cemetery near Titonka. Memorial services for family and friends will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2015, at the Ramsey Reformed Church near Titonka.
Margreta Violeta (Cordes) Smidt, daughter of John and Reka (Janssen) Cordes, was born on Sept. 7, 1919, in Lakota. At an early age, the family moved to Titonka, where she grew up and attended country school, German Township District No. 9.
On Sept. 8, 1941, Margreta was married to Esdert Warner Smidt, also of Titonka. The young couple moved to Holland, Michigan, where the groom was enrolled in Western Theological Seminary. In June 1944, after completing his studies, the couple moved to Willow Lake, South Dakota, where they began their ministerial career serving Immanuel Reformed Church. In 1952 the couple answered a call from the Dumont, Reformed Church, serving there until 1963. From 1963-1971 the family lived in Sibley where they continued their ministry at First Reformed Church.
In March 1971, the family moved to Belmond to serve Bethany Reformed Church and continued to serve there until their retirement in July 1979. The couple then moved to their own home in Belmond. Five months later, Margreta was widowed when her husband Esdert was tragically killed in a car accident. Margreta continued to reside in their home until April 2007 when she moved to the Belmond Community Apartments.
Margreta's faith and love of God was her strength and compass in life and death. She enjoyed being active in the ministries of the churches they served, working especially with women's ministries, education and music. She loved her family and was a compassionate and caring mom, grandma, great-grandma, sister and aunt. She was a gentle and gracious friend, staying in contact with many for decades. Homemaking, reading, gardening and playing Scrabble were her delights. Prayer was her passion and calling. She continued until her death to be a committed member of Bethany Reformed Church in Belmond.
Margreta is survived by her son Corwin and his wife, Marilyn of Ada, Michigan, and their children, Andrea (husband Richard Sittema, children John and Mary Sue), Corwin (wife, Melissa, children Matilda and August); daughter Merrita and her husband Prospero Tumonong of Rockford, Michigan, and their children, Spenser (wife Lisa, daughter Isabella), and Samara (fiancé Santino); and son Reginald and wife Kathleen of Morton, Illinois, and their children Benjamin (wife Rebekah, children Isaiah, Brooklyn, and Joseph), Peter (wife Jennifer, daughter Cambria), and Samuel (wife Sarah) as well as many nephews and nieces.
Margreta was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, the Rev. Esdert Smidt; one sister Rose Karels and her husband; and four brothers, John, Ralph, Albert and Ken and their wives; as well as Esdert's brothers and sisters and their spouses.