Rita Smith

To live stream Rita's funeral mass click the "Tribute Wall" tab above and then click watch now on the "Live Webcast". Rita Ann Flannery Smith, 92, died September 15, 2020. Private family services will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Elkhart where she was a life long member. Burial will follow at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines. Rita was born February 4, 1928, to Leo and Bertha Flannery in Bondurant, Iowa, where she lived her entire life. After graduating from Bondurant High School in 1946, Rita attended Clarke College In Dubuque and subsequently taught elementary school for 11 years in Bondurant, Farrar, and Elkhart. After teaching, she took a Clerk position in the Bondurant Post Office and retired after 32 years. She was a member and past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. Rita really was one of a kind. Her sense of humor and reputation as a jokester brought smiles to the faces of her nieces, nephews and grandchildren as they shared stories of all the pranks she played through the years. Family and faith were most important to Rita. She truly lived her faith and those who knew her well described her as kind, gracious, generous and giving. If you knew Rita you loved her. Rita was preceded in death by her husband Don in 2005 and her sister Mary in 2016. She is survived by 2 daughters, Mary Ann Hoffmans (Mike) of Southlake, Texas and Sheila Fay (Dan) of Knoxville, Iowa. Rita has 5 grandchildren, Anne, Joseph, William, Claire and Anna along with 2 great grandchildren, Elizabeth and Hannah. Rita is also survived by one sister and brother, Kay Ross and John Flannery(Suzie). Memorials-St Mary's Catholic Church, Elkhart, Iowa.