Gretchen Smith, 95

Gretchen M. Smith, 95, of Mountain Home, died Wednesday, April 20, 2005, at a care center in Meridian.

Funeral mass was held Saturday, April 23, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Mountain Home. Burial followed at Mountain View Cemetery. Arrangements were by Summers Funeral Homes, McMurtrey Chapel.

Gretchen was born to Charles E. and Rosalin V. Doyle on Aug. 22, 1909, in Chetopa, Kan., the fifth of seven daughters.

Her father worked for the MKT Railroad so Gretchen developed a love for traveling, especially on the trains.

On Jan. 2, 1925, Gretchen married Claude C. Smith in Fort Scott, Kan. They were together for 53 years. Six of their seven children are still living. All of them were born in Missouri and now reside in Idaho.

Claude worked many construction type jobs in the west and southwest.

"Gretchen was always ready to have him hook onto the mobile home and be on their way to a job site," her family noted.

In June 1947 the family moved from Missouri to Filer, Idaho, where they lived until 1958. They then bought land and settled in Mountain Home.

Gretchen was a member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church.

Gretchen is survived by: her children, Robert D. Smith of Mountain Home, Betty Shepherd of Buhl, Doris Jenkins of Star, Richard H. Smith and his wife, Lois ,of Mountain Home, Carol S. Brown of Caldwell, Gary M. Smith and his wife, Barbara, of Mountain Home; 27 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildren and 25 great-great- grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Claude Smith, five sisters, a son, and two grandsons.