Ruth Esther Randel Smith

 OBITUARY
Ruth Randel Smith, the daughter of William Conrad and Eva Margaret Rinck Randel, was born on a farm near Indianola, Nebraska on August 8, 1908, one of seven children.  She attended Red Willow School where she was valedictorian of her senior class.  Her leadership abilities appeared early in life.  As a high school student she was captain of her basketball team, and as a college sophomore at Cotner College in Lincoln, she became president of the YWCA. It was at the beginning of her first year of teaching at Bratton Union Consolidated School near Humboldt, NE in 1927 that she met her future husband, Harold Smith.  They were married in a garden ceremony at her parent’s country home in a double wedding ceremony with her sister Fay and Ben Kellner on August 15, 1928.  Harold and Ruth began their new life on Cloverdale Farm south of Auburn, where they lived for 69 years.  Ruth supported Harold’s innovative farming techniques, helping him produce and sell their brand of Nem-Co Hybrid seed corn, later merging with other growers to form the NC+ Hybrids seed company. As a new bride, Ruth immediately organized the Golden Rule Extension Club of which she was still a member seventy-six years later. Ruth was active in school, church, and community affairs, and raised large gardens.  For many years, she cleaned and sold thousand of eggs to local grocery stores, often raising over three thousand chickens for this project.  In spite of her busy home life, she made certain her children received excellent music lessons by often taking them to Omaha for the lessons. Ruth’s ever-present trademark has been her lovely roses and other cut flowers which she so generously shared with neighbors and shut-ins through the years.  An Old-Fashioned Rose garden was established at Nebraska Wesleyan University several years ago dedicated to Harold and Ruth, acknowledging their contribution to higher education. Other activities have included attending Nebraska football games, traveling with her family, serving on the First United Methodist Church board, of which she was currently a member, and many years as the Sunday School superintendent.  She was also a long time member of the Order of Eastern Star, P.E.O., and many civic organizations.  A hard worker all her life, Ruth possessed an uncanny zest for life, an enthusiasm that encompassed all areas of her life.  She always gave of herself and was an inspiration to all who knew her. In 1972, she was honored by being named the Nebraska Mother of the Year by the American Mother’s Association, an organization she supported many years thereafter.  She was the original president of the Brownville Village Theatre board of directors and continued the presidency for almost thirty years, remaining on the board until her death.  For thirty-eight years she was a major fund raiser for the theatre, even raising thousands of dollars this past year.  This past August 14 she was recognized by the Brownville Village Theatre, dedicating a day in her honor during which she received the Key to the City of Lincoln in recognition for her efforts of increasing the arts in Lincoln and Southeast Nebraska. In all of her enviable achievements, she placed God as her “guiding light”, faithfully demonstrating the love of Christ through her church, social groups, and devotion to family and friends. Although in declining health, she fulfilled three major goals this past month:  she attended her grandson Tyler’s wedding in Maine, celebrated her 97th birthday, and came home to be honored by the Brownville Village Theatre.  She was recently diagnosed with cancer and died peacefully on September 6 at Longs Creek in Auburn at the age of 97 years and 29 days.   Her indomitable spirit will be greatly missed. She is survived by her daughter, Marilyn Jo and husband Richard Gruber of Farragut, IA; her sons Hal and wife Barbara of Fremont and Philadelphia, PA; Randel and wife Jane of Brownville; and Gregg and wife Kathlene of Hastings; eleven grandchildren; seven great grandchildren; and many friends and relatives.  

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