Wanda Smith Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Wanda Eleanor Tew Smith lived life with great enthusiasm. Fascinated with people and places, she traveled and connected to others wherever she could. Her efforts to connect to other cultures took her all around the world, before such travel was commonplace. She recounted bold adventures ranging from exploring the pyramids of Egypt to exploring the ruins of South America. She was a dedicated wife and mother, and also made family central in her life. Wanda was born November 14, 1920 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was the daughter of Edward Samuel Tew and Susie Hewitt Schofield. She had two siblings, a younger sister Naomi and a brother, Ronald. This was the era of the Great Depression. Her father struggled to provide for the family. First he tried running a grocery store, and later a shoe store (“The Tew Shoe Store”), both of which failed. There was never enough money to go around. Finally after losing their home, her father became a traveling salesman and the family moved to Los Angeles, California to be close to her mother’s sisters. It was a bright-eyed young lady at the age of 19, who married her baseball-playing husband, Paul Alfred Smith, while he was in Vancouver, British Columbia, playing in the West Coast League. The wedding was a small affair, with only two witnesses present. This was a time of joy for them but also uncertainty, with the United States on the brink of involvement in WWII. With little income to pad the way, they scrimped, and both worked, and moved into a tiny apartment, continuously concerned that their old car would choose the most inopportune time to break down again. Still, they were optimistic. Paul served as a radioman in the Navy. Over the next several years they became the parents of 4 children. First Karen [Baxter], then Gary, who died as a baby, then Craig and Sheryl [Curtis]. They raised their family in Los Angeles, California. As the children grew, Wanda felt impressed to return to school. She obtained a teaching degree and taught junior high history. In 1969 Paul passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. It was July 30th, 10 days after men first walked on the moon. Wanda’s life changed profoundly. Gone was her ‘Sweet, Sweet Paul’, who she so ardently adored. Prior to his death, he had begun building them a new home. After Paul’s death, dedicated church members donated hours of labor to complete the home which she ultimately had to sell. It was a hard time. She continued to work as a teacher, and in 1971 she helped to care for her elderly father until his passing. After this time she began an exciting period in her life of travel, visiting over 50 countries. On one trip to Lebanon, she arrived as civil war erupted. “We were stranded in Beirut for 3 days while confined to our hotel while troops with machine guns were on our hotel roof and across this street on another building’s roof. We could see and hear their tracer bullets streak across the sky!!”Another memorable experience was traveling behind the “Iron Curtain” in Eastern Europe in the 1980s. For 29 days her luggage never caught up with her. “TWA sent it to San Francisco instead of with me on the plane to Frankfurt, and it finally caught up with me after I had been home a month! What vivid tales I could tell -- from phoning Simi, California from Budapest, Hungary to see if Sheryl could trace it from that end, to wild taxi rides at midnight in Bucharest, Romania through rain-slicked streets out to the airport in hopes of finding “it”[the luggage] ... to sewing two out-fits on the bus all by hand when I couldn’t find things to buy that were worth their inflated prices. It was all quite an experience, one I wouldn’t care to repeat. One thing I did learn was that you can travel lighter than you think you can!” When she retired in 1981 she explained, “Once a teacher, always a teacher, and particularly in the field of History, there is something cropping up every day in this rapidly moving world that I yearn to discuss and share with young people.” Wanda made great efforts to connect with her family. She enjoyed golfing with her son Craig and her grandchildren. She attended any family event she could make it to. She remembered birthdays with astonishing reliability, sending cards to grandkids hundreds of miles away without fail. When birthdays rolled around, it was a sure thing that a card and a small check was in the mail sharing how much she genuinely loved each in her family. She loved the TV show Jeopardy, and her excellent memory made the game a delightful challenge to her. She was a dedicated scrabble player that just couldn’t be beat, as many grandchildren can attest. Even at 90 years of age Wanda beat her daughter in a strongly contested scrabble battle. Wanda worked hard at family history and church service throughout her life. The great theme of her life in later years was her commitment to God and her continuing love for her husband, Paul, who preceded her in death by 51 years. They were sealed in the Mesa Arizona temple on October 20th, 1942. She missed him dearly, but now is surely in his warm embrace. In her own words: I am missing my darling Paul more and more -- it is very difficult to go this lonely road without him, but I do feel his presence and support for me in doing the work of the Lord…. Life is a continual challenge to achieve and accomplish what I was sent here to do…. I want my descendants to know that I know the Gospel is true...My counsel to my children and their spouses -- be ever true and faithful to the covenants you have made, and when the hard times come, as most assuredly they will, ‘Hold fast to the Iron Rod’, and ‘Endure to the End’. My love and prayers go out to you all. Wanda. Graveside Services will be held Saturday, September 19th, at 10:30 am, in the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery, 22601 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, California.

Wanda Smith

November 14, 1920 - September 7, 2020

Explore

Grief & Healing

Resources

Who We Are

Obituaries

Financing

Plan Ahead

Contact Info