Veta Smith, of Niles

Published 8:23 am Monday, October 31, 2016

May 9, 1921 — Oct. 28, 2016

Veta Smith, 95, of Niles, passed away Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, at Chalet of Niles, with her family by her side.
Veta was born May 9, 1921, to the late Henry and Susie Williams in Evening Shade, Arkansas.
On Nov. 7, 1942, she married Allison M. Smith at a ceremony in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Veta started working as a rural mail carrier at the Edwardsburg post office. She became a postal clerk and also worked in Elkhart, Indiana, and retired from the office in South Bend, Indiana. She was one of the founders of Ontwa Baptist Church in Edwardsburg and was a member at Bethel Baptist Church in Niles.
Veta enjoyed sewing and took pride in her appearance. Allison and Veta’s last residence was the old Lacey Schoolhouse in Niles. Together they converted it into their home.

Veta Smith

The Lacey Schoolhouse was established in 1835 and was the first schoolhouse in Berrien County.
Veta is survived by her children, Warren (Sharon) Smith, Sally Rockefeller and Douglas (Susan) Smith; grandchildren Shane (Brook) Smith, Stacey (Jason) Tighe and Ryan (Janice) Smith; great-grandchildren Shaylee and Hunter Smith, Jarrett and Jenalee Tighe, and Mayson, Keaton and Madison Smith; and sisters Ernestine Slade, Anna Thacker and Betty
(Bill) Weaver.
She was preceded in death by her husband on Aug. 14, 1996. Veta was also preceded in death by her brothers, Leniel, Remmel, Tillman, Tasso, Bill and Neil Williams.
Funeral services for Veta will be at noon Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, at Hoven Funeral Home in Buchanan, with the Rev. Ronald Brown of Beacon Baptist Church in Niles officiating. Burial will follow in Edwardsburg Cemetery. Visitation will be for an hour prior, from 11 a.m. to noon.
Online condolences may be made at hovenfunerals.com.