Ramona Irene Smith

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Ramona Irene Yearsley Smith, age 93 of Logan, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 25 at St. Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Ramona Irene Yearsley Smith was born August 23, 1915, in Menan, Idaho, the eighth child of Julia Brown and Heber Chase Yearsley. She attended school in Menan and Midway High School, between Menan and Lewisville, where she was valedictorian, on the debate team and the school newspaper. Ramona worked for her board and room while attending Idaho Southern Branch in Pocatello, was president of the Home Economics Club and earned a teaching certificate. She returned to Menan to teach third and fourth grades for three years and subsequently taught in Inkom, ID. During summers she worked as a waitress and salad chef for the Square G Ranch at Jenny Lake, Wyoming. Ramona continued her education at the University of Idaho in Moscow for another year and then married Vearl R. Smith in 1939 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple. They attended Oregon State University in Corvallis where she completed her foods and nutrition bachelor's degree and competed in university speech contests. They moved to Minneapolis, MN and to Madison WI, where they lived for 13 years before moving to Tucson, AZ.
Ramona completed a master's degree in child development at the University of Arizona and another master's degree in special education at Utah State University. She taught child development at USU in 1963-64. For 14 years she taught special education, one year in Brigham City and 13 years at Westside in Dayton, Idaho. She retired when she was 70 years old, and many grateful students continued to stay in touch with the teacher who helped them learn to read.
Ramona was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints her entire life and had many callings. She served as district Relief Society president in the Northern States Mission, ward and stake Relief Society president in Tucson, USU Single Stake Relief Society president and was called as president of the Logan 18th Ward Relief Society when she was 80 years old. She received recognition from the Logan LDS Temple Presidency for years of devoted service from 1986 to 1989. For many years Ramona transported many sisters to the temple twice a week.
Her interest in genealogy began while she was in high school, and she continued genealogy work throughout her life. In July of 2005 she spoke about the life of an ancestor, Lucy Nutting, at the local meeting of the Ship Brooklyn-Mormon Battalion Society in Olsen Park.
Her Christmas candy was highly sought after; she was an excellent cook, seamstress and gardener. She shared the produce of her garden with the neighborhood. She became proficient in upholstery and tailoring. She handmade beautiful quilts for all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and for many friends' babies. She opened her home to scores of people who needed a place to stay. This included students from foreign countries who became part of her family while attending USU. Many students and friends who lived with her also continued to visit her.
In her home she cared for her infirm sisters, Elizabeth and Juanita, and for her deaf brother, Bruce, from the years 1970 through 1990.
Ramona is survived by her six children: Stephanie Goodson, Idaho Falls, ID; Sheryl White, Sherwood, OR; Janell Jensen, Pembroke Pines, FL; J. Craig Smith, Salt Lake City; Dr. Stephen
B. Smith, Salt Lake City; Tanya Nelson, Herriman, UT; 24 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at Budge Clinic for their care and service.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to LDS Humanitarian Aid are requested.

Funeral services will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, December 30 at the Logan 18th Ward, 502 East 300 North in Logan. A viewing will be held from 9:30-10:30 prior to services. Interment will be in the Little Butte Cemetery near Menan, ID at 3 pm. Condolences and thoughts may be expressed to the family online at www.allenmortuaries.net .