Kathleen J. Smith

Kathleen J. Smith lost her courageous battle with cancer in the afternoon on Thursday, September 1, 2016 at the Center for Hospice Care, Elkhart.

She was born July 27, 1959 in Elkhart, to Martin L. and Donna J. (Whitcomb) Smith. “The city with a heart”, how fitting for someone that shared her heart with everyone she came across.
Kathy . . . our hero; “A hero – is an ordinary individual who finds the strength in perseverance and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” – Christopher Reeves.

She is survived by her loving father, Martin L. Smith of Bristol. Her beloved siblings, Patricia L. Leer of Elkhart, Martin W. (Mike) Smith of Elkhart, and Christine A. (Richard) Hack of Bristol. Three special nephews, Nicholas Leer of Elkhart, Andrew (Ashley) Hack of Bristol, Eric Smith of Elkhart, a sweet niece, Alaina Mendoza of Elkhart, along with a beautiful great niece Anastasia Hack of Bristol. Other special family members are, Michael Leer, Lisa Smith, and Scott Weatherspoon, and a furry family member Marley. Kathleen’s passing preceded her mother’s, Donna J. Smith, just 6 days before. Both of them battling cancer, both of them helping each other through the battle. She was preceded in death by her never forgotten nephew, Christopher M. Smith.

Kathleen was a 1978 ECHS graduate and always enjoyed reminiscing about fun high school times and the memories she had of times with her high school friends. She was employed at EFP where she was a press operator. In the past she had enjoyed playing on several summer recreational softball teams and boy could she hit a ball! Her love for Karaoke was vast. At home or clubs, she would sing with all of her heart and soul. Such a beautiful voice! Sitting around a campfire roasting weenies and making s’mores was always a fun time for Kathy. She enjoyed fishing. Her love and happiness for dogs was great. Her favorite cartoon characters were Mickey Mouse and Snoopy. She liked to rhyme and write jingles. She liked spending time with friends and never met a stranger. You know how that whole “would give you the shirt off her back” thing goes, that was Kathy. Friends, family, or strangers, she would do anything for anyone that needed help. But her most favorite thing to do was spending time with her family. It didn’t matter if it was celebrating a birthday or a holiday get-together, watching a movie with her mom & dad, a shopping trip with a sister or fishing with her brother, playing cards with a nephew, or getting a family member to partake in Karaoke, she just loved the time spent with her family.

Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Jin & staff, Erin Buckles, and Hospice of Elkhart and EFP Corp. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Please join us in remembering Kathleen at a joint visitation from 4-8 pm on Thursday Sept. 15th at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home in Elkhart where visitation will also be from 1 pm to 2 pm on Friday, Sept. 16th. A joint service will be held at 2 pm at the funeral home. Entombment will follow at Chapel of Memories Mausoleum, Rice Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to: Center for Hospice Care, Elkhart, United Cancer Services of Elkhart County or Elkhart County Humane Society.

Please remember to hug a loved one or friend today and tell them that you love them. It’s a good kind of thing! And “Keep looking up . . . that’s the secret of life.” Snoopy