Hanny Smith was born 19 August 1926 in Borneo Indonesia She had 2 brothers and one sister. During World War II her family was separated and sent to Japanese concentration camps. The camp she lived in was documented in the book and film Song of Survival. Her personal biography of those years is found in the book “Faith Behind the Fences.” Her father did not survive the camps. Following World War II her family moved to the Netherlands.
Hanny caught up on all the high school education she missed while in the camps and studied nursing. She moved to the United States and worked as a nurse. She came to the United States in 1957. She joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1959 in Palmyra New York. She met Laurence Smith and they married in 1960. They had three children together, two sons and one daughter. Laurence, her husband, died in 1971. Hanny raised three children alone, and continued working as a nurse. She was known to love flowers and was always sharing her food with others. She loved to cook and feed people. She enjoyed crocheting and made lovely blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
She served in the church assisting any way she could. She always smiled and never complained. After spending a couple of winters in Oregon with her daughter, in 2009 she moved in permanently with her daughter in Oregon, leaving behind many friends in New York. She made new friends in Oregon who came to take her to the temple weekly. In 2019 when her needs increased she moved to Woodland Heights Assisted Living Center. Her health declined and she passed away on 2 September 2021. She is survived by one sister, three children, six grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
Graveside Service, Saturday, 11th of September at 10:00 AM at Santaquin Cemetery, Santaquin, UT.
Memorial Service, 18th September at 11:00 AM, 8640 SW Turquoise Loop, Beaverton, OR
