Obituary of Ilamae Smith

Ilamae Smith, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and friend, was called home to heaven on August 19th, 2021. She was 88 years old. Heartbroken and left to cherish their nearly 70 years together is her loving, devoted husband Wayne M. Smith. Ilamae met Wayne in her senior and his junior year at Fremont Ross High School, in Fremont, OH. They married in 1955. They were blessed with two children; Deborah L. (Tim) Guzman of Waterville, OH and Dr. Steven (Marcia) Smith of Clearwater, FL; with granddaughter Kristen (Joshua) Niese, their children Brooklyn and Levi of Waterville, OH and with grandson Jacob Guzman of Shelby County, MI. Ilamae was born May 10th, 1933 in Fremont, OH to the late Harry and Mabel Neason. The second of four daughters, she deeply cherished her sisters; Norma Jean Willey of Fremont, Ohio and Alice Martin of Sandusky, Ohio who survive, and Carol Haubert of Royal Oak, Michigan who preceded her. An undeniably gifted musician, she faithfully served as Organist for Trinity United Methodist Church in Fremont for 40 years. Upon moving to Port Charlotte, FL, she enjoyed occasionally playing for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, where they are members. In addition to her amazing musical talent, friends and family will remember Ilamae for her unparalleled banana bread, pies and chocolate chip cookies. She possessed razor sharp marble and card playing skills. For this, she relished being affectionately titled the “silent assassin” by her dear friends. She enjoyed working for the busy ophthalmology practices of Dr. Malcolm Riddell and Dr. Richard Shurmer, before joining the Fremont Eye Center as Office Manager for Dr. Dale Solze, Dr. Richard Shurmer and Dr. Greg DeRhodes. Our beloved wife/mom spent her last days surrounded by her adoring family. We are eternally grateful to the team members at Fawcett Memorial Hospital for allowing us to do so. We are also forever grateful to her caring physician, Dr. Kenneth S. Reiss, his wonderful staff, and his exceptionally compassionate M.A., Megan. Additionally, we also thank her amazing circle of friends. What a blessing you are to all of us! Ilamae will be forever missed by everyone who loved or even knew her. She was a gracious and loving woman who inspired others through her devotion to God, family and friends. Her celebration of life service will be held October 11, 2021 at 1pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. If you are unable to attend, the service can be viewed live on the church Facebook page or following the service on their archive page at www.htlchurch.org. A time for fellowship will follow at the Ballroom in Kingsgate. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Port Charlotte or to a charity of your choosing. Arrangements have been entrusted to Charlotte Memorial Funeral Home, Cemetery & Crematory.