Roberta Emma Smith

Roberta E. Smith, age 90, Clark, died in the Prairie Lakes Hospital early Saturday morning, October 25, 2014 after a brief illness. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 from 5-7 PM at the Furness Funeral Home in Clark and will continue after 8:30 AM at the Church in Clark on Thursday. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2014 at 10AM in the United Methodist Church at Clark with The Reverend Mark Tracy officiating. The organist will be Wanda Bethke. There will be special music presented by Duane and Char Peterson with Dorothy Fuller as accompanist. Honorary casketbearers will be the Clark American Legion Auxiliary with the active casketbearers being Michelle, Nathan & Kirk Smith, Shawna & Jeff Lorch and Chris Benny. Burial will follow in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Clark. She was born Roberta Emma Heiden on January 24, 1924 at Bradley, the daughter of Roy and Thonata "Nettie" (Olson) Heiden. Roberta attended school in the Merton #19 grade school and then Clark High School graduating in 1942. She obtained a teachers certificate from Northern Normal and began a career in teaching that spanned 30 years. She taught in the Townships of Darlington and Foxton and in the towns of Vienna, Elrod and Clark. While teaching full-time, Roberta attended summer classes at Northern, Yankton College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Huron College. She thoroughly enjoyed being in the classroom, just as much as the students she taught. On September 15, 1946 she was united in marriage to Allen Smith. The couple lived and farmed 8 miles south of Clark. Roberta retired from teaching in the Clark School District in 1982. They moved into Clark in 1997 where they have lived since. She was a member of the United Methodist Church at Clark. Roberta was baptized on November 9, 1924 at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Watertown. She was a member of the United Methodist Women, the Clark American Legion Auxiliary, the South Dakota Educators Association, and the Happy Bunch Club. In her free time she enjoyed playing cards, bus trips around the country, spending 24 plus years in Donna, TX during the winters, sitting outside listening to the baseball games in the park, reading, flower gardening, crocheting and watching her boys and grandchildren in their activities. Roberta thoroughly enjoyed spending time too with her great-grandchildren when she could. Allen and Roberta enjoyed countless hours of dancing over the years from polka to waltz, square dancing and the fox trot! Preceding her in death were her parents, a brother-in-law, Leo Bachman and a sister-in-law, Lois Heiden. Grateful for having shared in her life is her husband of over 68 years, Allen of Clark, sons, Glenn (Lenora) Smith of Rochester, MN and Gail (Melanie) Smith of Vienna, grandchildren, Michelle (fiancé Chris), Shawna (Jeff), Nathan (Tara) and Kirk (Jenn), great-grandchildren, Julia, Amelia, Judson, Bennett and Cecilia. Also surviving are siblings, Velma Bachman and Darrell Heiden both of Clark. Furness Funeral Home of Clark is serving the family where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com