Betty Smith Obituary We're here today to celebrate the long, extraordinary life of Betty Smith. Her seven children, her sister Geri, her grandchildren, great grandchildren and her extended family have all come together to say thank you Betty for allowing all of us to be a part of your wonderful journey. A journey that started in the early decades of the 20th century. A journey that brought her through a great depression, a world war and the loss of her father at an early age. A journey that introduced her to the love of her life and our father, Phil Smith. Both born and raised in Indiana, they decided to follow his dream of living out west and the Smith Family's own saga of the way west was born. There, they spent the remainder of their lives together raising their kids and watching them spread to all corners of the country raising their own families. After Phil passed in 1996, Betty spent the rest of her life with her mother and her children and their families. She lived 97 years and left us all with a remarkable legacy, her love of her family. 'See you later, alligator.' 'After while, crocodile.' These words, so simple yet so full of love and really embodied the spirit of who Grandma was. And as I sit here writing this, I'm reminded of the countless times she spoke those words to many of us, especially her grandkids. But what I remember most about those moments was the excitement on her face and the joy in her eyes waiting for someone to say it back! Grandma Betty was many things to many people a devoted wife, a loving mother to seven children, and a doting grandmother and great-grandmother. But to me, she was simply Grandma, the woman who always had a smile on her face, love in her heart and a fun side that illuminated all our lives. One of the things that always amazed me about Grandma was her incredible memory and thoughtfulness. Every year, without fail, she would send a birthday card to each of her grandkids and great grandkids. It didn't matter how many of us there were and trust me, with seven children of her own, that number grew quickly! she never forgot a single birthday. Those cards weren't just pieces of paper; they were little reminders of her love, arriving in our mailboxes year after year. Grandma's life was centered around her family, but she also had other passions that brought her joy. She loved to cook! Her kitchen was always filled with many different aromas, from her famous snickerdoodles to her homemade chili that is now a dinner staple in my house. I remember as little kids we would sit there and play with her pots and pans, pretending to cook while she made dinner for everyone. I remember her in the garden, picking fresh vegetables that she would later can, preserving the taste of summer for the cold winters to come. And let's not forget her love for card games, especially Phase 10! I think I speak for all the grandkids when I say that we both loved and dreaded playing against Grandma because she almost always won! But one of my favorite memories of Grandma involves a simple treat that has now became a tradition. She would make us graham crackers with frosting. It doesn't sound like much, but in Grandma's hands, it was pure magic. And here's the part that always made us giggle: as the frosting squeezed out from between the crackers, Grandma would lick her fingers to clean up the mess. It was such a small thing, but it showed us that even grandmas could be a little mischievous sometimes! Haha! But what we will miss most about Grandma cannot be encapsulated in mere words. From her stories of growing up in Indiana, tales of when grandpa went off to war or the laughter-filled chaos of raising her seven children. My favorite stories though, will always be the ones about how she met Grandpa. The way her eyes would light up and how she smiled every time she spoke about him, you knew he was the love of her life. I realized that through these stories, she didn't just entertain us she connected us to our family history, helping us understand where we came from and the values that shaped our family. So, as we leave here today, let's not be sad. Instead, let's celebrate Grandma's 97 years of life, love, and laughter. Let's honor her memory by living as she did - with faith, with love, with joy in our hearts. And let's always remember to find the fun in life, to cherish our family, and to never miss an opportunity to say, 'See you later, alligator.'