Obituary of Josephine Smith

Josephine (Jo) Smith, 93, of Basin City, Washington, passed away on Sunday, April 17, 2016, in Othello, Washington. She was born at home in Hanover, Kansas on August 16, 1922 to parents, Charles and Julia Cammel. She was youngest of 11 children. Jo attended school in Blue Rapids, Kansas. She married Ivan C. Smith on August 10, 1941 at the Methodist Church in Blue Rapids, Kansas. They moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and then to Baltimore, Maryland where Linda and Doug were born. When Ivan left for the army, Jo and the children moved back to Blue Rapids, Kansas. Upon Ivan’s return from WWII, they moved back to Baltimore where Penny was born. Ivan and Jo then moved to St. Louis, Missouri and after a year, they answered their true calling; farming. So, they moved to Axtell, Kansas, where they rented a farm and started a small dairy operation. In 1959, they bought a farm near Beattie, Kansas where they expanded their dairy to a grade A milk barn with 50 head of cows. In the spring of 1961, their names were drawn for a homestead near Basin City, Washington. Doug and Penny moved with their parents and lived in a small trailer while clearing sagebrush and building their new home. Thus, they began their 32 years of irrigated farming in the Columbia Basin. After Ivan’s death in 1993, Jo continued to live in the farmhouse they built together until 2014. In 2014, Jo moved to Coventry House in Othello where she resided and made numerous friends until the time of her death. She is survived by her children Linda (Ronnie) Stueve of Tumwater, Doug (Cheri) Smith of Othello, and Penny (Gene) Satake of Basin City; 9 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, 6 great great-grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was preceded in death by her husband Ivan Smith, granddaughter Shelley Satake, grandson Christopher Smith, 3 great grandchildren, and all of her siblings. Memorial contributions may be sent in Jo’s name to: Coventry House 430 N 2nd Ave Othello, WA 99344 To leave an online condolence to the family and for service information, please visit our website at www.stevensfc.com.