Lillian May Smith

Lillian May Smith, age 95 of West Salem, WI, entered into the joys of eternal life on Sunday, November 4, 2018, at Mayo Franciscan Hospital, La Crosse.  She was born on May 3, 1923, to Christian P. Rohloff and Ida Wickboldt in Nashville, Ill.

A very loving and caring wife, mother, and grandmother, Lillian worked for many years as an office worker, a secretary, and an administrative assistant in a variety of business-related (insurance, manufacturing, newspaper) and academic areas, including 20 years in the Physical Therapy Department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Lillian was united in marriage with Melvin C. Smith on Sept. 5, 1953, at Friedens Lutheran Church, Kenosha, WI, and made a Christian home in the several places where her husband served as a Lutheran pastor:  Cambria and Mequon, WI, and La Crescent, MN.

In her personal life Lillian enjoyed traveling the US and Canada to visit family and sightsee, reading, baking, cooking, and working the daily crossword puzzle which kept her mind sharp for 95 years.  She was active in the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), La Crosse County, for 25 years.

She is survived by sons Richard and David of West Salem, WI, Thomas (Kristen) of Owatonna, MN; a daughter Janet (Alan) Holm of New Ulm, MN; five grandchildren:  Brian Holm (fiancée Claire Halberstadt), Jennifer (Mitch) Beranek, and Laura (Erik) Franta; Katrina and Martin Smith; a great-grandchild, Jayden Beranek; a sister, Lois Russell; nieces and nephews; and many church and community friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Melvin, and siblings Ruth, Charlotte, Albert, and Martha.

The family acknowledges with sincere thanks the exceptional care and support shown by the staff at Salem Terrance where Lillian resided for six years and by the healthcare professionals at Mayo Franciscan Hospital who made her comfortable and treated her with dignity in her final days.

Visitation will be held on Monday, Nov. 12th, one hour prior to a Service of Christian Funeral at 1:00 PM at Mount Calvary Ev. Lutheran Church in La Crosse, 1602 Park Ave., officiated by Pastor Robert Wassermann.  Interment will be at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park in Kenosha, WI, on Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 1:30 PM.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Mount Calvary Ev. Lutheran Church; Luther High School; the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, La Crosse County; and the Lillian Smith Scholarship in Physical Therapy (UW-La Crosse Foundation).