Agnes Ellen Smith, aged 96, went to be with the Lord with family by her side on June 6, 2018 at the Willows of Okemos, an assisted living facility, where she made her home since October 2014. Agnes (lovingly called Aggie) was born February 1, 1922, in Bryan, Ohio, the daughter of Adlai Allen and Dena “June” (Slife) Deisler.
On August 27, 1943, Aggie married the love of her life Cletus R. Smith whom she had met at the Rowley Wesleyan Church. They started their life together in a small home on his parent’s farm in Williamston, MI and moved to their own farm on Haslett Road in Perry, MI where they continued in the family farming business their entire lives. Cletus preceded her in death on January 15, 2001.
As an entrepreneur, she raised chickens and sold the eggs to the fraternity and sorority houses in East Lansing. In addition to farming, she loved to work in her vegetable and flower garden and was an avid reader. Aggie was a Sunday School teacher and volunteered in many facets of the Rowley Church and supported various missions her entire life. The church honored her by presenting an award for 65 years of continuous teaching. You could usually find her with the pre-school age children at Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Her heavenly Father was the center of her life. She shared her faith openly and was a living example of loving as Christ loved. She worked for the Webberville School District as a special needs school bus driver for 20 years before retiring. In their retirement years, she and Cletus spent their winters in Florida and traveled to Arizona several times in their motor home and visited relatives in different parts of the US. After Cletus passed away, she continued to spend her winters in Florida. In her later years, she volunteered at CRI (Christian Resources International) in Fowlerville preparing Bibles, and Christian books to be shipped around the world to those who could not afford them.
Aggie is survived by her three children, Phyllis (Gary) Franklin, of Willcox, AZ, Meridythe (Rick) Kanaga of Altamonte Springs, FL, and Roger (Pam) Smith of Williamston, MI. Her 9 grandchildren Heather (Mark) Nelson, Ryan (Tina) Kanaga, Travis (Erica) Smith; Starla (Guy) Hurd, Margo (Corey) Woodby, Ruth (Josh) Scheu, Jordan (Katrina) Smith, David Franklin, Joseph Franklin, and 12 great grandchildren all were a blessing to her. She loved them all and frequently engaged them in a favorite card game, board game, or puzzle. Aggie is one of twelve children, and the brothers and sisters who preceded her in death were Clifford, Robert, Carol, Lewis, Maurice, Glen, Marian, Howard, and Harold. She is survived by her brother Rev. Richard (Mary) Deisler and sister Wava (Daniel) Peterson. With a family that large, she had numerous nieces and nephews who were always glad to be with their “Aunt Aggie”.
There will be a celebration of life for family and friends on August 4, 2018 from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Rowley Wesleyan Church, 3720 Rowley Road, Williamston, MI 48895. Memorial donations can be sent in her name for the children’s ministry at Rowley Wesleyan Church at the address above or to McLaren Hospice at their corporate office 1515 Cal Drive, Davison, MI 48423.
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