Avis Ruth Smith

 Avis Ruth Smith passed away peacefully on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, in Grand Rapids, MI.  Avis was born on July 15, 1922, in Scottdale, PA to Thomas and Anna (Komm) Slaughter. Her family moved to Dayton, KY when she was 6 and she graduated from High School there in 1940.  After Business College she worked at Western Union for several years.  Her family moved to Kalamazoo and there she met the love of her life for 71 years, Eugene Smith.  They raised four children and nothing was more important to her than her family and friends.  She loved to travel, golf, play cards and games, play the organ, dance with her husband, knit, go to casinos, make greeting cards, and write letters.  She had a wicked sense of humor and loved inviting everyone to her “Party Porch” at her house in Jackson, MI. “The more the merrier” was her motto whether she was at their timeshare at Lake Lure, NC or when they were at Bradenton, Fl for the winter. She was one in a million and was known for her caring, loving, and giving nature. She will be deeply missed by her children, Judi and Ron Sack, Scott and Candy Smith, Deb and John Metcalf, Tim and Michele Smith; her grandchildren, Rick (Brenda) Sack, Todd Sack, Deana (Theo) St James, Bryan (Kim) Johnson, Kevin (Jennifer) Johnson, Ryan Smith, Kyle (Joanna) Smith, Clay (Sara Falls) Smith, Nicole (Rito Olvera) Smith; and adored great grands, Tyler, Brayden, Jake, Nate, Cornelius, George, Camila, Colette and Wilder; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.  Avis was preceded in death by her parents, husband Eugene Smith, and her siblings, James (Loena) Slaughter, Thomas (Sue) Slaughter, Dorothy Pitt, Marie Lonneman, George (Thelma) Slaughter and Carol Burke Bauman. The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Samaritas the Terraces and the staff and volunteers at Faith Hospice Trillium Woods for their care and compassion. A memorial service to celebrate Avis’s life will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 at 1 pm at Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Home, 4291 Cascade Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546. The family will be holding a light reception immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers a donation in Avis’s name is suggested to Faith Hospice Trillium Woods Volunteer Services, 2100 Raybrook St. SE STE 300, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546.

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