Smith, Helen
Gainesville – Helen Dorothy Jacobsen Smith, 97, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, July 25, 2013. She was born December 22, 1915 on a farm near Dysart, IA. Her parents were William and Lillian Jacobsen. When she became a young woman she attended beauty school in Waterloo, IA. She soon became a practicing beautician in Oelwein, IA, where she met her future husband, Richard Smith. She had three children – Richard “Sandy”, Tom, and Sally. In 1959 the family moved to Florida, eventually winding up in Gainesville, where she lived the last fifty years of her life.
She is survived by her brother, Glenn Jacobsen (Jean) of Iowa City, IA, two of her children, Tom and Sally; nine grandchildren – Scott, Jason, Matthew, and Timothy (Sandy’s children); and Johnnie, Aimee, Jeremy, Sara, and Joey (Sally’s children.) She was also blessed with 21 great-grandchildren. Although her worldly attainments were few, her love was great. And so she was greatly loved and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
She had a beautiful, warm smile and was quick to laugh. Her smile would light up the room, as her laughter filled it, bringing joy to everyone present. And she was always doing for others. She never failed to offer food to any guest who entered her home. She was a devout Christian, who prayed for family and friends and faithfully read her Bible.
She was predeceased by her husband, Richard, her parents, her three sisters – Arlene, Joan, and Florence – and her son, Sandy.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 11:00am in Forest Meadows Memorial Park Centrals Chapel in the Meadows, 4100 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville, FL with a visitation one hour prior to the service at 10:00am.
Tom and Sally,
My sincere condolences to your family. Nothing is as hard as losing a mother. We all wish we never had to go through that. Thankfully, in the Holy Scritpures, God promises us that soon “death will be no more”. He also gives us the hope of seeing our loved ones who have fallen asleep in death (Revelation 21:3-4, John 5:28,29). I hope you find that to be encouraging.