April 11, 1924 – This Story Is For You Aunt Cleo
To live a hundred years is hard to imagine but this special lady has done just that. We don’t know what the weather was like on April 11, 1924. We know no one older to ask, but we will think spring. On this day Gordon and Lula Smith welcomed baby girl number four and she would begin a journey spanning 100 years thus far. Cleo has outlived 11 of her siblings and has one sister still living, Wanda Pitsenbarger, who was the last of the 12 to be born.
Cleo has lived longer than her great-grandparents (William Smith, age 61, and Mary Ann Smith, age 56), her grandparents (Martin Smith, age 95, and Maggie Smith, age 82), her parents Gordon and Lula Smith, and 11 siblings. That’s a time span of 199 years with William’s birth in 1825 until today, April 2024. That is a lot of Smiths! Two of Cleo’s family members made it close to 100, both living to age 95, grandfather Martin and sister, Sheba.
Cleo married the love of her life, Vernon Simmons, in June 1946, and together they worked raising their children and making a loving and successful home. This partnership continued every day for over 76 years, an accomplishment in itself. She never worked a day on a public job but was happy to be home taking care of her children, seeing to her garden, and babysitting for family and friends.
Age, along with health concerns, has slowed this once active lady down but she is still blessed with a clear mind. Things that happened in her early life if they were part of her family’s life are right there. If you ask Cleo a question dealing with family history or her life, you will get an answer 99 percent of the time. She loves to share.
Cleo was honored and celebrated by family and friends on April 6 in the fellowship hall of her home church, the Staunton Church of the Brethren. The reception was hosted by her son, Larry (Debi), and daughter, Jenna, along with her daughter-in-law, Phyllis, her four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Also attending were 11 nieces, eight nephews along with extended families, and two sisters-in-law. Several of her friends and church family members were also in attendance.
Larry addressed the crowd and spoke very eloquently of his mother’s early life in Stony Run. He talked of the hardships and struggles the family had after her mother died the day after Cleo turned 13. He spoke about how the three oldest girls became the mother figure for the other nine and about how they helped their dad keep his family together. Larry said that his mom carried the things she had learned from her parents into her life with Vernon and their family.
There are probably few, if any, that celebrated with Cleo will ever see a 100th birthday. I have been very blessed to have this special lady in my life since day one. I am so proud to call you Aunt Cleo—you are a very special person.
Your niece,
Violet R. Eye
