Deva L. Smith, age 105, and a decades long resident of Ridgeway, MO, passed away peacefully in her home at Foxwood Springs Senior Community in Raymore, MO on March 26, 2021. Born in December 1915 to Pearl (Crosby) and John Goldsmith on their farm near Ridgeway, MO, Deva was a descendant of the Crosby family that in 1880 was among the original homesteaders near the new town of Ridgeway, MO. In 1941 she fell in love with her future husband, Roy W. Smith, during a summer session at the University of Missouri. They married in March of 1942 and raised 3 children on a family farm near Ridgeway before moving to Centerville, Iowa, a town she grew to love. They moved back to their Missouri farm in 1968. After 27 years together, Roy preceded her in death in June 1969.
Deva attended public school in Ridgeway, MO where she arrived in a horse-drawn “school wagon” along with her two dear sisters, Dolyne and Zelda, and other rural students. She graduated from Ridgeway High School in 1933 and began her elementary school teaching career at age 17 in the Walnut country school in Harrison County, MO. As was the custom, she was the only teacher in the one room school. She was responsible for firing the stove to warm the room as well as providing instruction to 1st through 8th graders. After two years in the rural school system she was hired to teach in the Ridgeway Elementary School in town. All her life she was drawn to children and especially loved teaching reading.
Deva was a person of deep faith and was an active member of the Disciples of Christ Church. She taught Sunday School and helped to prepare many chili and cornbread dinners in the church social hall. She was also a life-long member of P.E.O., a sorority dedicated to promoting educational opportunities for women. Accustomed to working hard in the home and on the farm, her hands were rarely still. She was an excellent cook, seamstress, and homemaker; creating beauty and comfort for her family. She loved birds, the natural world, gardening, and her prized indoor African Violets. But most of all she loved her family – every one of us, in her quiet, devoted, and steadfast way.
Deva is survived by her three children, Carolyn Smith of Raymore, MO, Alan Smith of Portland, Oregon, Nancy (Smith) Batson and her husband, David, of Chevy Chase, MD, and her grandson, Miles Crosby Batson of Golden, CO. In addition, she is survived by her nieces, Alice Blahous, Katherine Lockridge, and Barbara Smith, and her nephew, Kenneth Lockridge, and their families. All of these she loved and touched deeply.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on August 28 at the Raymore Christian Church at 500 Peace Drive, Raymore, Mo. Afterwards, her ashes will be interred next to her husband in the Rose Hill cemetery, Ridgeway, Mo. The family will have a local reception in Bethany, Mo. from 6:30-8 p.m. on Sunday, August 29 at the First United Methodist Church at 2703 Crestview Road in Bethany. Everyone who knew Deva, or the family, is invited to both memorial events.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to The Fellowship of John, a charity at Foxwood Springs Senior Community to aid in the care of elderly residents who outlive their funds. After Deva moved there in 1996 she supported this organization’s mission with donations and active participation in its fund raisers. Checks should be made out to The Fellowship of John with Deva Smith Memorial in the memo line and mailed to the address below.
Foxwood Springs Resident Council
PO Box 701
Raymore, MO 64083
Condolences can be sent to Deva’s family at: 1322 W Campbell Blvd, Raymore MO, 64083
ECCLESIASTES 3:1-4 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance…