T. Nadine Donham Smith
October 29, 2022
Thelma Nadine Donham was born to Claude
Earl ?Jack? Sr and Vera Nadine (Willhour) Donham on March 14,
1934, at the family home in Wichita, Kansas. Nadine was the oldest
child, followed by Nancy, Claude ?Butch? Jr, Carl and Everett.
Nadine attended various Wichita grade
schools before starting tenth grade at East High School. She
graduated from East in the spring of 1952 and enrolled in Wesley
School of Nursing that fall.
In the summer of 1953, Nadine kept the
scorebook for her dad?s company fast-pitch softball team. It was
here where she met Gene Smith. Gene joined the team by a friend?s
invitation while on leave from the Marine Corp.
Gene and Nadine were married the next
summer on July 16, 1954, at St. Luke?s Methodist Church in Wichita.
That fall, she began her last year of nursing school and she
graduated in 1955. She worked in a doctor?s office until 1957 when
their first daughter, Robin, was born.
The young family then moved to St.
Louis where Gene attended graduate school. Nadine worked third shift
on the medical floor at a hospital to help support the family.
Gene and Nadine then returned to
Wichita, where their second and third daughters, Enid and Peggy, were
born.
In 1961, Gene and Nadine traveled to
Oklahoma to attend evangelistic revival meetings. At these meetings,
they both accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and
established their home as one of faith and trutha legacy that has
continued for generations. Gene returned to active duty in the
Marines, and the Smiths moved to several Marine Corp bases including
Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and Quantico in Virginia. Nadine
raised their daughters alone for one year while Gene served in the
Vietnam War from 1967 to 1968.
The Smiths then moved to 29 Palms base
in California where their fourth daughter, Amy, was born. In 1970,
the family moved back to their Oak Street house in Wichita so the
girls could attend Berean Academy as they entered high school.
During this season, Nadine once again
worked third shift hours, this time on the IV team at Wesley Medical
Center. She started part-time, moved to full-time and eventually
retired from Wesley after 25 years of service.
In 1990, when road construction plans
made it necessary, Gene and Nadine moved to northwest Wichita. Then
in 2019, after Gene experienced a severe health scare, they moved to
a Schowalter Villa independent living apartment in Hesston to be
closer to daughters Amy and Peggy.
In early September, an injury to
Nadine?s back required surgery. Her condition declined as she
experienced complications from the surgery, and she passed away on
the evening of October 23 at Newton Medical Center. She was 88 years
old.
In between all of these life events,
Nadine never let herself be idle and enjoyed many hobbies. She
enjoyed sewing, quilting and crocheting, and she used these talents
to create dresses for her young daughters, T-shirt quilts for her
grandchildren and many afghans she gave as gifts.
She loved playing table games like
dominoes and rummy. She also faithfully watched her favorite TV shows
while she crocheted and sewed, including Blue Bloods, Jeopardy! and
NCIS.
Nadine and Gene both enjoyed working
outdoors, and they kept a beautiful yard and garden at their
northwest Wichita house. Gene took care of the gardening while Nadine
tended the flower beds.
She loved camping with Gene and the
rest of her family, and they started the annual Smith camping trip at
Pomme de Terre Lake in southern Missouri.
Perhaps most of all, Nadine loved
supporting her children and grandchildren by attending their sporting
events, musical endeavors and school or church involvements. This
included sports like swimming, tennis, track, football, soccer,
volleyball and basketball. They also attended band and choir
concerts, graduations, baptisms and anything else happening in the
lives of their grandchildren.
Family was always the priority for
Nadine. She cherished times when her family joined together for
holidays, birthday parties, Chiefs games or just an afternoon swim at
Peggy?s pool.
Nadine was always focused on others and
made sure everyone was doing well and had everything they needed. She
made it clear to every member of her family that they were loved and
brought something unique to the family.
Nadine was preceded in death by her
parents Jack and Vera Donham, sister Nancy Soward, and brother
Everett Donham.
She is survived by her husband, Eugene
Smith, daughters Robin McDonald of Albia, IA, Enid (Bruce) Penner of
Whitewater, Peggy (Mike) King of Hesston, and Amy (Scott) Vogt of
Hesston, grandchildren Belinda Preston, Tammie (Jesse) Maddy, Stanley
(Brittany) McDonald, Wesley (Sara) McDonald, Julie (Wes) Stewart,
Lonnie (Danielle) Penner, Ethan (Michaela) Penner, Toby Penner, Erin
King, Ryan King, Taylor (Sam) Voisin, Caitlin King, Allyson (Loren)
Pearce, Zachary Vogt, and Jordyn Vogt, 14 great-grandchildren and
counting, brothers Butch (Bonnie) Donham, Carl Donham, sisters-in-law
Barbara Koch and Loretta Donham, and many nieces, nephews, and other
family members.
Visitation will be Thursday, October 27
at Petersen Funeral Chapel in Newton, Kansas from 5p.m. to 9 p.m.
with family present from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Burial will be Friday,
October 28, at Wichita Park Cemetery in Wichita, Kansas. A memorial
service will be held Friday, October 28, at Hesston MB Church in
Hesston, Kansas starting at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for
memorial donations to be made to either Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
or Berean Academy.
