Marguerite Elaine Smith

Marguerite passed away on April 11, 2013 in Gresham, Oregon at the age of 87. Marguerite Elaine Emmett was born in Troy, Idaho, on December 9, 1925, 8 1/2 months after her father, Everett, was killed in a logging accident. After her mother, Carrie (nee Allen), married Walter Clawson in 1929, they moved to the Clatskanie area, where Marguerite attended Swedetown grade school. She graduated from Clatskanie High School in 1943.

Marguerite married Lowell Knutson in Orofino, Idaho (his hometown) on January 24, 1944. Lowell was in the Army at the time and was in Europe for a good part of their first year and a half of marriage. Their first daughter, Lola Elaine, was born March 19, 1945. Their second daughter, Karen Lee, was born October 19, 1947. The family moved to Jewell in 1950 and resided there for the next 5 years before moving to Gearhart, where the girls attended Gearhart Grade School and Seaside High. Marguerite was delighted to make new friends and join the bowling league. She was also a voracious reader and did beautiful needlework. She could always be counted on to help out at the bake sales, chaperoning at the school dances, or selling tickets to raise funds for the school bands.

Marguerite & Lowell separated in 1964 when he moved to Alaska and she and the girls moved to Portland, where Karen finshed her senior year at Benson High.

Eventually, Marguerite went to work for Spear Beverage Company, where she met and fell in love with Cliff Smith. They married on June 14, 1969. They moved to a lovely home in Gresham, where they lived out their married life. During these years, Marguerite took up ceramics, then porcelain painting, and then oil painting. She made many beautiful objects to pass on to family and friends.

The saddest day of her life was the day Cliff died of pancreatic cancer on July 23, 1996. The next couple of years she was helped tremendously by the gift of a part-time job given her by her friend and neighbor, owner of Set-N-Me-Free.

Marguerite spent the last years of her life in a care facility for Alzheimer's patients in Gresham. She is survived by two daughters, Lola Pollock & Karen Brosseth, and two step-daughters, Carol Roberts & Nancy Fisher. A step-son, Jim Smith, preceded her in death.

Interment is at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.

Eulogy given at graveside by Lola follows:

REMEMBRANCES

Mom would usually describe herself as a "shy" person.... but I think her friends remember her as a fun-loving, caring, and giving person. My sister and I remember her as a strict disciplinarian, but a mother who believed in "fairness" to the Nth degree. An example would be the way she would split a piece of gum for us. She would fold it in half til the ends met, then take knife to make the split absolutely in the middle (hindsight tells me she was probably trying to make a point!). She continued that fairness when she married Cliff and there were 3 other children brought into the equation. If one of us needed a helping hand, the other four were given a similar gift or the same options for a loan.

And we will remember her honesty. Here's a woman who never even CONSIDERED cheating on her taxes. If the rules were in black & white, she saw no gray area! I rode on "The Max" with her on the day BEFORE her 65th birthday; she did NOT purchase the senior citizen discounted ticket; the rules said you had to be 65. No gray area.

We'll also remember her artistry. Do you remember back in the '50's and '60's when "Paint By Number" sets were all the rage? We all did them... and they ended up LOOKING like paint-by-number pictures, didn't they? Not Mom's! When she was through with hers, they were works of art that we were proud to have framed and hanging on our walls. After she retired from work, she decided to take up pottery, then porcelain painting, and finally oil painting. She did really beautiful work. All this from a woman who proclaimed throughout my childhood that she couldn't even "draw a stick figure."

We'll remember, too, her devotion to her "critters." After her beloved Shi-Tzu, Ping Pong, died, we all tried to get her to take another "critter' into her home, but she was so heartbroken over her loss, she said she couldn't risk outliving another one. Then, just before Alzheimers took over her life, a sweet little cat came into her yard and adopted her. Lizzie II was her constant and faithful companion until it became evident that Mom could no longer take care of her. It was with a heavy heart that we had to take Lizzie from Mom's apartment and find a new home for her.

Lastly, we will remember her loyalty. Her devotion to Cliff was the stuff of fairy tales. She thought the sun rose and set in her man. When Cliff died, her sun dimmed considerably and she struggled to find meaning to her days. Cliff & Mom's friend, Jan Heinrich, came to the rescue by asking Mom to come to work for her part-time. She continued working until the summer of 2001, when her Alzheimers made it impossible to remember her tasks. I know Mom would want us to remember, always, the kindness of friends.

As we leave here today, let us take comfort in remembering that Cliff & Marguerite are together again, blessed in their sunshine.

And, Mom.... big hugs please to Grammie, Jimmy, Sara, and Crystal. We will miss you all for the rest of our earthly lives. Save us a place on the bench.

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