Ida Louise Smith, age 99 of Salem, passed away on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at her daughter’s home with her family by her side.
Ida was born on November 10, 1925, in Omega, the daughter of Ora and Ruby (Mulvaney) Ritter. She married Warren C. “Smitty” Smith on January 28, 1946 in Centralia, Illinois at the firehouse and together they shared 69 years united in marriage until his passing on August 9, 2015.
Survivors include her daughters, Linda Fay Hawn of Salem, Mary Elizabeth Johnson of Odin, and Melody Ann Elliott and husband Tim of Vienna; seven grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, six great-great-grandchildren; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Carole Ritter, Keith Smith, Geraldine Sullens, Joyce Crow, and Marceline Brubaker. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ora and Ruby; her husband, Warren “Smitty”; and her siblings, Stella Mulvaney, Francis Hubert Ritter, Neva Yates, Laurel Monroe Ritter, Melvin Eugene Ritter, Anna May Ritter, Morris Lee Ritter, and Mont Ritter; son in laws; Robert Hawn and David Johnson Jr.; and a grandson, James Hawn.
Ida was a faithful member of First Christian Church in Salem, where she served on the bereavement committee for several years.
In her early years, Ida worked at the Brown Shoe Factory in Salem until she got married. Later she worked as a housekeeper at the Restwell Hotel in Salem and then as a cook at Salem High School where she retired.
Funeral services for Ida Smith will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at First Christian Church in Salem with Phil Martin officiating. Burial will follow at Paradise Cemetery in Salem. There will be a visitation on Saturday at the church from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Memorial contributions can be made to the First Christian Church and will be received at the church or at Crouse Funeral Home who is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences and memories can be left at www.CrouseFH.com.
