Florence Smith, age 96, lifetime Waukesha resident, died Thursday, November 29, 2012, at the Virginia Health and Rehabilitation Center in Waukesha. She was born in Waukesha on August 13, 1916, the oldest child of C.H. and Dorothy (Nee: Brandt) Merten. Florence attended Hadfield Elementary School and graduated from Waukesha High School in 1934.
Flo will be remembered for her exceptional love, dedication, and guidance to her family. She and her high school sweetheart and husband, Orlie, loved traveling and new experiences. In the early 60s they made several trips to Europe. They loved to camp and visited 49 of the 50 US states. She was the “ears” for Orlie, who lost his hearing during his teen years.
After raising her four children, she began her career helping others, first as a teaching assistant at Mothers Day Out, and later as a teacher’s aide, assisting special needs individuals in the Waukesha School District.
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Florence was a lifetime member at Grace Lutheran Church, where she taught Sunday School, was a member of the Ladies Aid, Choir, and Missionary Society, and was a 75+ year member of the East Side Circle.
She will also be remembered for her crafts. Her yard animals, at her home on East Avenue, “participated” in numerous school class trips and were involved in many Christmas and Easter church programs.
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Florence will be sadly missed by her daughter Katharine J. (Robert) Young of Denver, son Andrew C. (Connie) Smith of Waukesha, and daughters-in-law Jacki (Gene) Goetz of Waukesha and Helen Smith of Saginaw, MI.
She is further survived by grandchildren Mark, Eric, Daniel, Shellie, Robert, Joseph, Shawn, Carrie, Sarah, Christopher, Jennifer, Robert, Karol, Stephanie, Erin and Michael. She will be greatly missed by her great grandchildren Christine, Brandon, Leslie, Ashley, Brittany, Caryn, Megan, Gabriel, Isabelle, Miranda, Heather, Kylene, Emily, Brooke, Zachary, Justine, Christopher, Alexandria, Natalie, Robert, Colin, Taylor, James, Alison, Patrick, Nicolas, Grace, Jack, Roxanne, Jeremy, and Joshua, her great-great granddaughters Brianna and Julia, her sister-in-law and close friend Martha Merten, and numerous other relatives and friends.
In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, Orlie, their sons Thomas and Charles, grandson Matthew, and great-great grandson Stephan. She is also preceded in death by her sisters Irma, Lillian, and Grace and her brothers Raymond and William.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012, at Grace Ev. Lutheran Church, 700 Beechwood Ave, Waukesha, WI 53186 from 4 p.m. until the 7 p.m. Funeral Service. The Rev. Arthur Koepsell is officiating. Interment will be at Prairie Home Cemetery on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Please meet at the Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, 1110 S. Grand Ave., Waukesha at 9:30 AM for a procession to the cemetery. If desired, memorials to Grace Ev. Lutheran Church are appreciated.
is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.waukeshafunerals.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.
