Dorothy I. (Weers) Smith

Dorothy Smith (née Weers) 91, of Harvel, passed away Sat., June 30, 2018 in Litchfield.

She was born Dec. 2, 1926, in Rosamond, Illinois.  She graduated at age 16 from Raymond High School, then attended Illinois College on a two year scholarship.  She worked as a teacher in a one room schoolhouse in Chandlerville until she was able to obtain a scholarship to attend the University of Illinois.  To support herself while in Urbana, she worked at a glove factory and a hospital lab.  She graduated from U of I with a B.S. degree, with a major in bacteriology and minor in chemistry.  She worked as a bacteriologist for the State of Illinois for a year before she married Lee L. Smith of Harvel, where they lived for many years.  They had two daughters, Karen and Marsha.

She began teaching in the Panhandle School District in the 1960s, spending many years with kindergartners and first graders. While teaching, she also obtained her master’s degree in reading.    She was an active partner in farming with Lee, preferring outdoor work to cooking or cleaning.  She was very intelligent and enjoyed the stock market, traveling to all 50 states, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, correct grammar and a good pun.  She was a hardworking, practical, frugal and no nonsense woman who made her family laugh with her unique sayings and direct ways. 

In her later years she lived at Pleasant Hill Village, Girard, and at Evergreen Place, Litchfield.  She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Seeley of Corona del Mar, CA, her son-in-law Richard Cox of Diablo, CA, her grandchildren Kelsey Schmidt (husband Logan), Mitchell Cox, Carson Cox and Lindsay Hart (husband Bobby), all of California, her niece Brenda Barbee and nephew Wesley Caruthers, both of Waverly, and her nephew James Caruthers of Santa Fe, NM.  She was predeceased by her husband Lee, her daughter Karen Cox, her son-in-law Duane Seeley, her sister Mary Caruthers and two brothers, Clarence and Robert, who died in childhood. 

Services will be held Saturday, July 7, 10:00 a.m. at Plummer Funeral Home, Litchfield, with visitation one hour prior, and burial at Harvel Cemetery.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Panhandle Educational Foundation, PO Box 108, Raymond IL 62560 or Diabetes Action Research (diabetesaction.org).  The family may be contacted at MDLSeeley@sbcglobal.net

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