ROMA JUNE SMITH

Roma June Smith, the daughter of John and Ada (Strong) Tyson, was born June 19, 1918 on a farm in Lincoln Township near Walnut, IA and died January 9, 2011 at Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, IA at the age of 92 years, 6 months, and 21 days.

Roma attended school at York #7 Country School before graduating from Oakland High School with the class of 1935. After graduating, she taught school in Grove Township. On January 1, 1939 she was united in marriage to Robert E. Smith at the Oakland Christian Church Parsonage. Four children were born to this union: Robert JR. Lonnie, Mary and Marie.


Roma joined 4-H in 1933 and was a member of the James Jaunty Juniors 4-H Club. In 1952, she and Maxine Nilan formed the West Nishna Belles 4-H club where she was a leader for many years. She was a charter member of the Botna Valley Genealogical Society and designed the society logo. She was very involved in the society, retaining and updating records, mapping cemeteries, and the society headstone restoration project. From her love of family, she has left her family a legacy of family history in her years of research. Roma was a volunteer for over 10 years at the Oakland Manor Nursing Home and had held the office of treasurer for many years for the Oakland Senior Center.

Roma was baptized and became a member of the Oakland Christian Church in 1955, where she was a member of the Christian Women's Fellowship. She was a very good seamstress and enjoyed bowling, cooking, sewing, genealogy, playing bridge and reading


Roma is preceded in death by her husband Robert, her son Robert JR., her daughter Marie at birth, her parents, her sisters: Lillie, Florence and Elsie, and her brother John W. Tyson, JR.


Roma is survived by her son Lonnie Smith and wife Patsy and daughter Mary Bees and husband Richard, all of Oakland; her grandchildren: Rogene Schroder and husband Dennis, Shane Smith, Marshall Smith and wife Jodi, Stephanie Copenhaver and husband Robert, Evan Bees and wife Beckie, and Dylan Bees and wife Moriah; and her great grandchildren Kadiya and Kylie Schroder, Savannah, Shayley, Sheyenne, Eli, and Parker Smith, and Skylar Copenhaver. She is also survived by many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 10:30 AM at the Oakland Christian Church. An open visitation will be held at the Oakland Christian after 1:00 PM on Wednesday. Visitation with the family will be held at the Oakland Christian Church on Wednesday from 5:30-7:00 PM. Interment will be at the Belknap Cemetery. Rieken Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland is in charge of arrangements.