Obituary of Cheryll Smith

Cheryll Lynn (Jones) Smith was born on February 9, 1944 on Fort Knox, Louisville, Kentucky as her father was getting ready to ship overseas to Europe during World War II. Cheryll passed away, at age 80, on the morning of October 23, 2024, in Great Falls, MT. Raised in various locations throughout Kansas and Colorado, Cheryll lived and experienced many things during her long lifetime. Growing up, she had many pets, including her favorite horse, a giant black racehorse, named Black Ball. She often told the story of Black Ball “going on a rip” for over a mile while she clung to the saddle as a little girl and how thrilling it was to ride a racehorse like that. As a young woman, she graduated from Emporia State Teacher’s College where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and served as an attendance monitor. Her job as attendance monitor introduced her to the love of her life, Robert “David” Smith, who was chronically late to class so he could gain the attention of the pretty young monitor. After Mom & Dad married, they quickly completed their Master’s Degrees in Elementary Education and moved to Jeddah, Saudia Arabia, where they taught for the Parent’s Cooperative School. Living in Saudia Arabia allowed them the opportunity to travel the world. Mom would tell stories of their safaris to Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, as well as numerous trips to Europe. In 1969, they began welcoming children into their lives with the birth of their eldest daughter, Amy. Upon return to the United States, Amy was quickly followed by the birth of Scott and then Julie. The travel adventures did not stop in Africa – the family transferred and moved regularly throughout the United States due to Dad’s employment with the US Secret Service and US Customs Service. Throughout those years, Mom held the family and home together with grace, wit and a never-ending supply of love and patience. She made many friends in the many places we lived. Mom almost single-handedly raised all three of her children, as Dad’s work to support the family kept him away from home for long periods of time. She took great pride in the accomplishments of each of her children – Julie serves as an Electrical Engineer for Bonneville Power Administration, Scott serves as a Colonel and is Commander of the 120th Wing of the Montana Air National Guard, and Amy earned her Master’s Degree and serves as the Director of Learning for the National Association of State Workforce Agencies. Following retirement, Mom & Dad traveled extensively throughout the United States for Dad’s contract work. We are confident that there is not a single quilt shop in the western United States that Mom hasn’t visited during their travels. As her children grew and moved into adulthood, the family expanded to include grandchildren, and in 2023, her very first great-grandchild. If you thought she was proud of her children, nothing could hold a candle to the pride she had for each of her grandchildren and the joy she found in being a great-grandmother. Mom was an avid quilter and gifted many people with the beautiful quilts she made by hand. She was particularly focused on making quilts to comfort people who were experiencing cancer or who had lost a loved one to cancer. She made these quilts and sent them all over the United States while she herself battled cancer four different times. Each of her grandchildren received quilts for special occasions, including great grandbaby Alice. Those of us who spent her final years with her were blessed to have witnessed her silent strength and determination. All throughout her treatments, she never complained and was always her same, loving, generous, and patient self. Indeed, her final words were instructions to make sure her grandson, Nicholas, completed Basic Training without interruption due to her passing and “I love you and your Dad”. Cheryll is survived by her beloved husband of 58 years, David, daughter Amy, son-in-law Doug Matt, bonus son Troy Meade, grandsons Brandon, Justin Smith and Private Nicholas Rubeck (Montana Army National Guard), granddaughters Megan Smith Collie (Kyle) and Katherine (Rubeck) Smith, great-granddaughter, Alice Collie, best friends – Lori Farrington and Sue Ahlers, and her Border Collie, Mr. Jackson. In accordance with her wishes, a small, private, celebration of life will be planned upon Nicholas’s return from military training obligations. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Sletten Cancer Institute, Great Falls, MT, where Mom received remarkable care throughout her long, courageous battle.