Irene Smith, 74

Irene F. Smith, 74, formerly of Mountain Home, died Sept. 4, 2004, at her son's home in Gooding, surrounded by her children after a battle with illness.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, Sept. 9, at 2 p.m. at the Assembly of God Church in Mountain Home. Burial will be in the Mountain View Cemetery in Mountain Home.

A viewing for family members and friends will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 5-7 p.m. at the Rost Funeral Home in Mountain Home.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Demaray's Gooding Chapel.

Irene was born Feb. 14, 1927, in Lime Springs, Iowa, to Elizabeth Olena and Frank Opat. She was the second of ten children born to Olena and Frank. Her father was originally from Czechoslovakia and her mother came from Iowa.

Irene moved to Mountain Home in the summer of 1985 after her daughter, Lisa, graduated from high school.

She attended the Christian Fellowship, pastored by Teddy Ray Jones. She gave herself to the Lord by being baptized by Teddy Ray on July 1986.

Irene was known by many people for her many different crafts and her homemade cooking, especially for her homemade chicken noodle soup, potato soup and her BBQ sauce.

Irene was a cook for Lawrence Welk in her younger years, along with working for Blacksands Resort.

Irene loved to make holiday dinners and candy for many of her friends. "She never knew what it meant to make a small batch of bread, and everybody loved her cinnamon rolls," her family said.

Irene's crafted hands crocheted many bed-dolls, which made their way throughout the United States and even over to Korea.

Irene loved to be around her family, especially her great-grandchildren, grandchildren and children. They all brought her lots of love, joy and laughter, her family noted. Irene was known to many people in Mountain Home. To her daughter's friends she will always be "Mom." She enjoyed going back to Iowa every year to visit her mother and sisters.

Irene is survived by: her mother, Olena Opat of Cresco, Iowa; three sisters, Lillian White of Hawkeye, Iowa, Rosella Fenske of Cresco, Iowa and Sherry Hansen of Postville, Iowa; four brothers, Art Opat of Corvallis, Mont., William Opat of Hamilton, Mont., Raymond Opat of Scobey, Mont., and Lester Opat of Weippe, Idaho; her children, Debra Campbell of Joplin, Mo., David and Joyce Smith of Gooding, Robert and Dina Smith of Fairfield, Barbara and Larry Milligan of Thompson Falls, Mont., Steven Smith of Jerome, Diane and Eulogio Pena of Oreana, Randy and Donna Smith of Kuna and Lisa Smith of Mountain Home; and 64 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by: her paternal grandparents; her father, Frank Sr.; a sister, Mary; a brother, Frank Jr.; one child, Teresa Marie; and one grandchild, Adrianne Marche.