Paula Mae Smith

Paula Mae Smith, age 71, rural Vienna, wife of Dan Smith, died at her home on Friday, March 20, 2020, after a brief illness.

Funeral services will be held at 2PM on Thursday, October 1, 2020, in the New Hope Lutheran Church of Hayti with Pastor Randy Eisenbeisz officiating. Interment will be in the New Hope Cemetery at a later date. Masks or face coverings are highly recommended .

Paula Mae Smith was born Paula Cooper to Paul and Willa Mae (Morris) Cooper in Watertown, on December 1, 1948.

Paula lived in and attended school at Watertown until the 6th grade, when the family moved to Bowdle, for four years before moving back to Watertown to finish high school. After high school, she worked for NW Bell Telephone Company in Aberdeen, transferring to Watertown in May of 1968.

Dan and Paula were married on October 12, 1968. They moved to the family farm near Naples in 1971, where they have resided since. She worked in Watertown and Erwin in electronics from 1978 to 1988. Paula then attended LATI in Medical Assisting, graduating in 1991 with the highest grade point average in her class. She worked for Konstant Chiropractic for several years, then was a medical assisting instructor at LATI for several years, retiring in 2012.

After retirement, they enjoyed traveling, spending winters in Arizona, and following their grandchildren's sporting activities. Her greatest love was truly her grandchildren and spending time with them.

Paula was preceded in death by her parents.

She is survived by her husband, Dan Smith; son, Scott Smith; daughter, Pam (Paul) Roe; brother, Doug (Cheryl) Cooper; grandchildren, Kelsey (Rey) Hennen, Gabe, Cooper, Connor and Ryder Smith, Hanna (Braxton Owen), John and Cole Roe; and great-grandchildren, Nora, Leo, Lyla, Rainy Hennen.

Interment services will be held at a later date.

The Furness Funeral Home at Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com