Joanna McDonald Smith, 81, passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Nov. 29, 2014, at the home of her daughter in El Paso, Texas, surrounded by her family and friends.

Services will be held Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 10 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Swan Street in Silver City. She was married to the love of her life, Vernon Albert Smith, for more than 60 years. She was born March 9, 1933, in Virden, NM, to Bartley and MayBeth Mortensen McDonald. She lived her early life on the family ranch near White Signal where she truly loved the ranching life. She attended school at White Signal and eventually the family returned to Silver City, where she completed her education at Western High School. After graduation she moved to Las Cruces, NM, and met Vernon while he was serving in the military at White Sands. They soon married and moved back east to his native home of Pennsylvania and soon started their family that would quickly grow to four children, first two boys and then two girls. Work took the family then to Baltimore, Md., for the next 25 years and then in 1977 they returned to Mrs. Smith¹s native home in New Mexico.

She is survived by her husband, Vernon, daughter Sandra and son-in-law Keith Stanley of Silver City; daughter Tami and son-in-law Rudy Norzagaray of El Paso; stepdaughter Angela and her husband, Penn Frey, of Westchester, Pa; and son Michael Smith of Manheim, Pa.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Bartley Smith; two sisters, Irma Mae Eubanks and Kathleen Pruitt; one brother, Pete McDonald; and grandson, Michael Smith of Manheim. 

She was a devoted wife, mother of four, grandmother of 15, great-grandmother of 12, and a great-great-grandmother to one. One of her pleasures was to be surrounded by her family. She was a faithful member of the LDS church and enjoyed serving others.