Geraldine 'Gerry' Smith, 68

Geraldine “Gerry” Smith, 68, passed away at her home in Marion on May 23, 2017.

Gerry was born Oct. 9, 1948, in Kalispell, to Charley and Romona Williams.

She spent her early years in the Borman area on the family farm, and attended Borman school. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother and siblings to Kalispell.

On Jan. 24, 1964, Gerry married Richard Smith in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. They began their lives together in Dayton, Montana, living there for a brief time before moving to Marion, where they welcomed and raised their six children, and spent the remainder of their days.

Gerry loved the outdoors. She spent many summers fishing and camping with her family, as well as picking cones and getting in firewood. The fall season was often spent cutting Christmas trees and boughs, and hunting. She worked as a groundskeeper for Glacier Memorial Gardens for a couple of years, and she had learned to run a chainsaw from her husband and occasionally worked with him on logging jobs or cutting post and poles. She worked on a women’s thinning crew for Champion Timberlands for several years, and then as a relief mail carrier on the Marion route, where she eventually took the route over herself. When she decided to let the long days of the mail route go, you could often find her out on the ice fishing for salmon in winter, and summers were often spent working in the yard and in her flower gardens.

Gerry was preceded in death by her husband Richard, her parents Charley Williams and Romona Norton, her stepfather George Norton, and one brother, Russell Norton.

She is survived by her five sons, Rick Smith of Kalispell, John Smith of Las Vegas, Will Smith and wife Carrie of Kalispell, and Dan Smith and Anthony Smith, both of Marion; one daughter, Wendy Anderson, and husband, Larry, of Kalispell; 11 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren; three sisters, Audrey Flansaas of Kalispell, Sharon Jordt of Bigfork, and Donna Bear of Kalispell; three brothers, Douglas Williams of Columbia Falls, Wayne Williams of Kalispell, and Harvey Norton, also of Kalispell; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family is holding a private memorial for Gerry.

To send a note of condolence to the family, please visit www.buffalohillfh.com. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.