Lucille C. Smith

Lucille Codding Smith passed away quietly in her sleep on September 13, 2014 at the age of 85. Cille was born in Ironton, Missouri to Margaret (Leeper) and Edwin Codding. Her older sister Barbara was already there to greet her and the two of them would be there to greet their younger sister Claudia several years later. Growing up in the Arcadia Valley—with occasional trips to the Vineland farm of her Wilson cousins gave her much happiness and a solid foundation for a life that would be well-lived. Cille met her future husband, Griff when he drove the Rev. Frank Maples from St. Louis to minister to the congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church—the Codding family’s church. They caught each others’ eyes—and as Cille liked to tell it, she said, “Momma, I’m going to marry that man.” After a proper courtship, they were indeed married—by Rev. Maples at that same church. Cille was a studious girl with a gift for music. She earned a scholarship to the University of Missouri where she received a BFA in Music shortly before meeting Griff. Her time there was joyful, largely because of the good friends she surrounded herself with and also because her beloved Uncle Kirk (Leeper) was there during most of that time, at the medical school. Cille and Griff established their home in St. Louis, and Cille adopted Griff’s St. Augustine’s Church as her own and developed many enduring friendships with the fine people there. Eventually, they had three boys: Mark, Griff, and Dave, who were quite a handful. She taught music only briefly, before the boys were born, but passed on her love of music to her boys and grandchildren. Thankfully, she always maintained a deep love for her roots and ensured that her boys got plenty of time in the Arcadia Valley, so they had a proper appreciation for the rural life. Much of that appreciation was learned on the family farm in the Flat Woods, which her grandfather had left to Edwin and his sister, Laura Codding Barger. When Mark, Griff, and Dave grew up, they married, respectively, Gail, Kay and Lisa. All of the marriages endure to this day. Cille loved the girls as her own. And when the union of Mark and Gail produced her two grandsons, Sam and Danny, she quickly developed a deep and abiding love for them too. Cille was a selfless and guileless person whose life was a true example of service to others. She opened her home to her dying mother-in-law and personally provided most of her end-of-life care. She opened her home to her sister, Claudia, and young niece, Heather, at a critical time in their lives. She brought her Aunt Laura across the state to a nursing home near her so Laura could get a daily visit from a loved one. She drove across the Missouri Ozarks from Springfield to Ironton about once a month for years to do the work needed to ensure that her father, Edwin, could remain in his own home for all but the last few months of his life. She gave up much of her personal freedom when Griff’s memory began failing, to ensure that he would have the daily touchstones that made his world feel more familiar. It was cruel that a stroke robbed her of her independence only two short years after Griff’s passing. Cille’s boys, their wives, her grandchildren, her surviving sister, Claudia and many other surviving family members and friends will miss her greatly. The legacy of her generosity will endure. Memorial services will be scheduled at a future date.