Margaret Elizabeth Constance (Bush) Smith |
| Posted 2009-08-08 by Sharla |
| The White Mountain Independent Show Low, Arizona 11/03/2006 Margaret Elizabeth Constance Murray Bush Smith died in her sleep at home Oct. 29, 2006 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. She was born Aug. 6, 1924 in Montrose, Scotland. She married Norman R. Smith, an American pilot during World War II in Saxlebye, England Sept. 2, 1944. Norman preceded her in passing 25 days earlier Oct. 4, 2006. It was considered a special blessing by the family that after 63 years of marriage they were only apart for 25 days. To have found such an enduring love in the midst of the horrors of war and coming from such diverse corners of the world-Snowflake and Montrose, Scotland-it could only have happened by a loving Heavenly Father's blessing and meant to be for all time and eternity. Margaret grew up in rural Scotland and England. She loved helping the local farmers and always had an abiding love for animals. She excelled academically and helped all her children with the rigors of mathematics. She was an athletic standout in field hockey, track and swimming. In the tenth grade at Westbridgford Secondary School in Glasgow she lost the affection of one the school's star track athletes by throwing the javelin farther than he could. During WWII her brother, William went missing in action and Margaret immediately joined the Royal Air Force and received training as a Radar Operator. Her job was to help guide the returning British fighter and bomber pilots coming back across the English Channel to their bases. She excelled in this duty and was promptly promoted to officer status as a 19-year-old lieutenant in the Radar Battery with supervisory duties over a company of radar operators. After the war Margaret came to America on the original Queen Mary with the first group of war brides and was met by Norman at the dock in New York. They made the long drive to Snowflake. Norman pursued the cattle business with Margaret at his side. She worked for 17 years at the Indian Dormitories in Snowflake until the program was discontinued. She threw heart and soul into her involvement with the Navajo school aged children that stayed at the dormitories. Those were special years for Margaret and she loved her work and those children. Margaret's six children have the special gift of being able to stand and so proudly declare on any day that great blessing they received of being the children of Margaret Elizabeth Constance Murray Bush Smith. Margaret is survived by her six children, Norman Russell (Gwen), Stewart Murray (Sheila), William Clark, Ernest Edward (Paula), Margaret Elizabeth White (Andy) and Cindy Katherine Hatch (Hal); 29 grandchildren; 61 great-grandchildren and three more on the way. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ernest Edward and Margaret Alexina Bush and three older brothers, Ernest Edward, William Phillip and Douglas Stewart Murray and her husband, Norman. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Snowflake Stake Center with a visitation at 9 a.m. at the Church. Interment will follow at the Snowflake Cemetery. Contributions to RTA Hospice and Palliative Care, 1789 W. Commerce Dr., Lakeside, AZ 85929, have been suggested by the family. Owens Mortuary of Snowflake handled arrangements See Also: Find A Grave |
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