Jewell Aldine Smith

Jewell Aldine Smith passed away May 26, 2014.
Jewell was born June 17, 1921 in West Virginia to Calvin and Etta Thompson. She lived her younger years in Roanoke, VA with her sisters Marie and Doris, and her brother Sam.
In 1943, she fell in love with a sailor – Thomas Gerald Smith – and married him 11 days later.  Together they raised 3 children-Tom, Larry who passed away in 1970, and Linda.  Jewell’s strength and determination held together her family in 1947, when her husband and 2 sons all contracted polio at the same time.  Jewell and Tom moved several times before spending several years in San Diego, CA, and then Oak Harbor, WA. They found their permanent home in Auburn in 1972. They were married 51 years before Tom preceded her in death in 1994.
Jewell lived at Parkside East and Auburn Meadows retirement homes before her declining health required more care in 2006. She then moved to a home in Kirkland to be close to her daughter Linda.  Jewell spent many hours volunteering at the place she and Tom both loved – the Auburn Senior Center. She was an amazing seamstress, often spending the entire day in her sewing room. She was also an accomplished painter. She gave away quilts, paintings and handmade items that continue to comfort and inspire. Her other loves were cooking, knitting, crosswords and reading.
Her grandchildren were the light of her life. She’d have tea parties, cuddle and read to them when they were little and enjoyed their baseball games when they were older. Of course they always had well-loved homemade blankets, clothes and stuffed animals made by “Granny”.
Jewell is survived by her son Tom Smith in San Diego, daughter Linda Larsen in Kirkland, sister Doris Walls in Roanoke, VA, grandchildren Larry Smith, Jeff and Eric Larsen, great-grandchildren Meredith and Spencer Larsen, along with several nieces and nephews.
A service to celebrate her life will be held at the chapel at Mountain View Cemetery on Friday June 27, at 11am.