Lillie (Giba) Smith (1910 - 2010)

Born 26 Feb 1910 in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Ancestors

Wife of Fred Elmer Smith — married 13 Aug 1932 in Enfield, Tompkins County, New York

Died 5 Mar 2010 at age 100 in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York

Biography

Lillie Giba was born February 26, 1910 in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut. She was the daughter of John and Anna (Suhta) Giba, both born in Hungary.

Lillie married Fred E. “Bus” Smith on August 13, 1932 in Enfield, Tompkins County, New York. She was a Stenographer at the time and he was a farmer in the Town of Ulysses. ^[1] They raised their family on a strawberry farm on Waterburg Road near Trumansburg, New York.

The following are articles that appeared in the Interlaken NY Review:

Mrs. And Mrs. Fred E. Smith left Tuesday for their winter home at Ft. Pierce, Fla. Sunday a family dinner party was held at the home of their daughter, Mrs. James H. Smith, celebrating the holidays before they left for the south. Mr. and Mrs. John Giba, the hostess grandparents also joined the gathering. -- Trumansburg, Thursday, November 12, 1964

Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Smith have returned to their home on Christian Hill following a winter at Ft. Pierce, Florida. They came earlier than was planned because of the illness of Mrs. Smith’s mother, Mrs. John Giba. – Thursday, April 9, 1964

A general “move about” takes place early this month on Christian Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Smith will move to the home of Mrs. John Giba, Mrs. Smith’s mother. Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, having sold their home to Mr. and Mrs. John Pollock, will move to the farm homestead, vacated by her parents. And the Pollocks will take possession of their new home. Mrs. Pollock is a 4th grade teacher at T.C.S. – Thursday, April 17, 1969

Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Smith and her mother Mrs. John Giba were guests of their daughter and her husband, the James Smiths of Christian Hill, Thursday, the 30th in a joint Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas party, before the Fred E. Smiths left for Ft. Pierce, Fla. Nov. 1. – Thursday, November 13, 1969

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Smith were hosts for a family dinner party Friday celebrating the 84th birthday of Mrs. Smith’s mother, Mrs. John Giba. – Thursday, June 27, 1974

She died March 5, 2010 at the age of 100. She is buried in buried Grove Cemetery, Trumansburg, New York. ^[2]

Her granddaughter posted the following in memory of her:

Her love was tangible: strawberry jam, ginger cookies, big hugs, beautiful flowers in the beds around the house, and unwavering dedication to those she loved. She is in each of us whenever we serve a lovingly cooked meal, or welcome someone at the door with a big smile. ^[3]

LILLIE G. SMITH

INTERLAKEN - Lillie G. Smith of 4075 Interlaken Beach Rd., Interlaken (formerly of Trumansburg) passed away at Cayuga Medical Center on Friday, March 5, 2010, at the age of 100.

Born in Danbury, Connecticut on February 26, 1910, Lillie was the daughter of John and Anna (Shuta) Giba. Her family moved to Hopewell, Virginia when she was four. Lillie and her brother John remember watching soldiers march past their home on the way to Camp Lee in preparation for what was then called the Great War. At age 10 the family moved to a farm in Enfield.

Following graduation from Ithaca High School she studied business at Ithaca College before accepting a position in the business office of Rothchilds Department Store in Ithaca. Lillie worked at Rothchilds until she met and married Fred E. Smith of Trumansburg. The newlyweds moved to Waterburg Road where they started a strawberry farm which became well known throughout Central New York. Lillie worked beside her husband for over 30 years in the berry business while raising their two children. During WWII Lillie and Fred both served their county as plane spotters in Perry City.

Even though farm life kept them close to home, Lillie and Fred traveled to the west coast a few times to visit their son in Oregon and in later years spent some 20 winters in Florida. In 1986 Lillie and her cousin Julie ventured off to Chile where they spent two months with Lillie's son and daughter-in-law. In 1998 Lillie traveled with her family to Slovakia (formerly Czechoslovakia) where she was able to reconnect with many of her parent's relatives.

For over 70 years Lillie was a member of Trumansburg Lodge #479 OES where she had served as Matron. She was active in the Waterburg Grange, the Home Bureau, and worked at the Community Chest in Ithaca. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, and was a loyal fan of Lawrence Welk. Nine years after Fred's death in 1981, Lillie's daughter Barbara and her husband Al invited Lillie into their home. For 20 years, precious memories have been embedded in the hearts of one another as countless family events have unfolded with Lillie proudly holding the title of mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. Her presence will be sorely missed.

In addition to her two children, Barbara A. (Al) Redman of Interlaken and Fred J. (Consuelo) Smith of Concon, Chile, Lillie is survived by six grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Private family services will be held at a later date. – Published in Ithaca Journal from Mar. 8 to Mar. 9, 2010

Sources

1. ↑ New York, County Marriages, 1847-1848; 1908-1936; database with images, FamilySearch, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V6HJ-T6R
2. ↑ Find A Grave Memorial# 160703884; http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=160703884
3. ↑ Posted by Amy Beltaine, Wednesday, May 05, 2010; http://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html