Rae Ellen D. (Strecker) Smith Pfeifer of Olathe, KS, passed away on April 1, 2018. She was born March 5, 1938, on the family farm of her grandparents, Emanuel and Ida (Ochs) Karst, southwest of Russell, KS. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward August and Alverda (Karst) Strecker Mortimer.
Rae’s father, Eddie was killed in an oilfield accident in l950, so she and her sister Mavis had to help support their family. Rae worked at the Dream and Mecca movie theaters, the City Dairy, and R.C Williams Trucking Company doing office work during her high school years.
Rae graduated from Russell High School in 1956. She married Denton Smith in 1957. From that union came three sons: Dirk, Derek and Dustin. Rae and Denton later divorced.
She worked for the federal government at Great Lakes Naval Training Base in Illinois, and also at Kansas State University and Oklahoma State University. From 1971 to May of 2000, she was secretary to two presidents: Dr. Gerald W. Tomanek and Dr. Edward H. Hammond, at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas.
In May of 2000, Rae retired after 29 years at FHSU. In August she married Herbert Pfeifer and moved to Olathe, Kansas, where they lived for l8 years. They spent time traveling to Hawaii, Alaska, California, North Carolina, Washington, D.C. and Florida to be with family.
Rae is survived by her husband Herb, her three sons; Major General Dirk D. Smith and his wife, Mary, of Washington, DC; Derek Edward Smith and wife, Karen, of Charlotte, NC; and Dustin D. Smith and wife, Kristi, of San Francisco, CA; and a sister, Mavis Kingsley of Hays, KS.
Rae valued her family above all else. She said: “They are the greatest gifts I have ever been given.” She had eight grandchildren: Kaycee, Lt. Garret, Jared, Khaner, Dawson, Deegan, Justin and Ruby Dae. She had one great-granddaughter, Kaeva, and one great-grandson, Levi. She had two stepchildren, five step-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to FHSU Foundation, Rae Ellen (Smith) Pfeifer Graphic Design Scholarship. P.O. Box 1060, Hays, KS 67601.
Visitation will be on Wednesday, April 4th from 6-8 pm at the McGilley & Frye Funeral Home, 105 E. Loula, Olathe, KS. There will be another visitation on Thursday evening, April 5th at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, 610 N. Maple, Russell, KS. Funeral services will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Russell, KS on Friday, April 6th. Please visit www.pvpmortuary.com for details. Burial will be at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery. Following committal at St. John Lutheran Cemetery, family and friends are invited to return to St. John Parish Hall for lunch and fellowship. Fond memories and condolences may be shared at www.mcgilley-frye.com.
