Mary Jewel Smith

CAIRO, Ill. -- Mary Jewel Smith, 90, of Cairo died Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. She was known for her smile and positive attitude, and she always had a kind word for everyone.

She was born Sept. 22, 1923, in Miller City, Ill., to Leslie and Gertrude Bowers. At just 5 years of age, Mary Jewel's father passed away, leaving her mother with five children.

Mary Jewel later moved to Mississippi County, Mo., when her mother married Charles Mockett in 1932. She learned the importance of hard work early on while farming with her mother, stepfather, brother and three sisters. She enjoyed being outside so much that she often said she would rather work in the fields than in the house.

She graduated from Diehlstadt High School at the age of 16 and was the only one of her mother's children to graduate from high school. She later worked at Brown Shoe Co. in Charleston, Mo., then at the munitions plant in Cairo during World War II.

It was at this job, working on the assembly line, she met her husband, Connell F. Smith, a union representative for workers at the plant. While they were dating, she often told him she would rather dance than eat. Mary Jewel and Connell were married Dec. 8, 1945. Connell shared his passion for hunting and fishing with Mary Jewel, and she was soon outshooting and outfishing him. They were married until he passed away in 1988.

Mary Jewel was a proud member of Laborers Local 773 and a self-described "hard-headed" Democrat. She strongly believed working people enjoyed good wages and working conditions because of unions. She also believed senior citizens could live life in dignity because of Social Security and Medicare.

Always a believer in hard work, Mary Jewel returned to work after her husband passed away. She worked until she was 87 for the Southern Illinois Laborers Health and Welfare Fund until it relocated to Marion, Ill. She very much enjoyed working with her colleagues and was a firm believer in arriving early and staying until the job was done.

Mary Jewel was an avid Cardinals baseball fan and never missed a game on the radio or TV. She was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cairo, Wyatt United Methodist Church and Charleston Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Connell F. Smith; a brother, Lowell Bowers; and three sisters, Dorothy Rodriguiz, Opal Noisworthy and Jo McDaniel.

Mary Jewel is survived by two sons, Connell F. Smith Jr. and Edward M. (Betty) Smith of Alexandria, Va.; a granddaughter, Jordan (Tyler) Edmonds of Anna, Ill.; a grandson, Matt Smith of Tamms, Ill.; two great-grandsons, Trevor Smith and Graydon Edmonds; and many nieces and nephews.

Her family would like to send a special thanks to John and Nancy Price, Nudie Moore, Donna and Carl Thomas, Bill and Chalen Tatum, Jana Cornelius, Dr. Wong and Betty Hunt, John Fischer, Vicky Green, Amy Farrow and Kim Potts of Capaha Bank, and Darrel and Mary Cutler.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m. until service time today at Crain Funeral Home in Cairo.

The funeral will be at 2 p.m. today at the funeral home. A private graveside service will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the Smith family encourages donations to The Therapy Center, P.O. Box 364, Carterville, Ill., or the Connell F. Smith Scholarship Fund, Laborers Local 773, 5102 Ed Smith Way, Marion, Ill.

To leave online condolences visit crainsonline.com.