Maria L. Smith, 80, of Mt. Pleasant, died Sunday, March 13, 2022 at her residence.
Maria’s family will greet friends from 5-7 PM on Thursday, March 17 at the Kimzey Funeral Home, 213 N. Main St., Mt. Pleasant, IA. Cremation rites will be accorded following the visitation. Online condolences may be directed to www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com
Mrs. Smith, the former Maria Luisa Cortez, was born January 21, 1942 in El Carmen Ranch, TX. She was the daughter of Luis and Josephine (Encinia) Cortez. On March 16, 1984 in Waukegan, IL, Maria was united in marriage to Donald Eugene Smith. Mr. Smith died Friday, April 22, 2016 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City.
Maria worked for an envelope manufacturing company in Waukegan. Following her husband’s transfer to a new job in Mt. Pleasant, Maria worked briefly for McKay Envelope in Mt. Pleasant. She worked for Richard Garrels prior to accepting a position with the Goodyear Hose Manufacturing plant in Mt. Pleasant (later Veyance Technologies and Contitech).
Work was Maria’s passion and hobby. She loved going to work and was a very industrious worker in all her positions.
Those thankful for sharing in Maria’s life include her children – Frank (Diane) Diaz of Tomvall, TX, Roy (Dylan Burks) Diaz of Little Rock, AR, Josephine Diaz-Gates of Spring, TX and Luis (Cindy) Diaz of MT. Pleasant; two sisters – Maria Elida Galvan of Minneola, FL and Martina Siordie of Kenosha, WI and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Her parents, husband and a son-in-law, Scott Gates, precede Maria in death.