Twila Louise Catherine Turner Smith (88) of Warsack House at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community passed away last Thursday evening, May 2nd after a 6-year courageous battle with Vascular Dementia.  Previously, Twila had lived 58 years in the home that her husband Cletus, built on the north side of Mole Hill in the Dale Enterprise Community.   They appreciated their community of neighbors including the Blauchs, and then later the Rays, the Earlys, the Showalters, and Landes’. After the death of her husband, she sold their home and had a home built on Hickory Grove Circle in Harrisonburg where she enjoyed visits from the Parsons, the Rexrodes, and Loretta Lombardi.

Twila was the daughter of the late Conley and Texie Turner of the Dry Fork area of Harman, WVa. She was the oldest of 3 boys and 2 girls.   Her mother’s parents, Henry Clay, and Virginia (Jenny) Pennington raised her in their home.   She cherished her time traveling on the train with them between Thomas, Elkins, and Cass to visit extended family. She had a deep bond with her younger siblings who lived close by. Following the death of her grandmother when Twila was 12, her grandfather moved to Virginia with his son’s family, and mom moved in with her parents and younger siblings who had recently moved to Port Republic, VA. While her father worked weekdays in Baltimore, her mother, brothers, and sister worked on a large farm.

At the age of 14, Twila’s father abandoned the family, and her mother was forced to make the decision to return to the empty house in Dry Fork, WVa where her grandparents had lived. Twila received her mother’s blessing to stay in Virginia knowing they were facing poverty, and very little opportunity for women in a remote part of WVa. This was the beginning of the strong-willed and determined woman that would remain within Twila her entire life. She answered an ad to live with a family in Port Republic, and to clean and care for the home earning wages to go to school during the day.  Twila’s freshman year was the last year that Port Republic High School was opened. She attended the newly built Montevideo High School her sophomore year. Twila became dissatisfied with her treatment from this family and answered a similar ad from a family in the Greenmount area of Harrisonburg. It was there that Twila became a family member of the Carl and Gladys Shoemaker family. At age 15, Twila moved in to care for twins Joyce and Janice, and younger sister Phyllis and to work in their home while attending school. Moving in with the Shoemakers was the beginning of a life-long bond between Twila and each member of that family. She was able to start her junior year at Linville High School and during her senior year she became a part of the first graduating class of the new Broadway High School in 1952-1953.

Immediately after high school, Twila was hired at Hostetter’s drug store in downtown Harrisonburg: the store with the magic doors.  Jack Bradford, the manager, and his wife Peg and their daughters would become another important part of Twila’s life. She always mentioned her devout respect for Jack. She was hired as a clerk but eventually was also the bookkeeper and the model in the store’s ads for cosmetics in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Twila trained as a pharmacy technician and worked at Hostetter’s until it’s closing in the 1970’s. She later commissioned the Cat’s Meow building of Hostetter’s drug store.

It was a visit with some friends to Ed‘s Park in Rawley Springs in 1955 where she met her future husband, Martin Cletus (Clete) Smith who was currently living on the farm of David and Ruth Shirkey in the Montezuma area of Dayton. Twila and Cletus married on August 12, 1956. He had a talent for carpentry and built their home on Dale Enterprise Road in a beautiful setting of Oak trees, fruit trees and pines. They remodeled the house as many as 6 times and Twila kept the home immaculately decorated and clean for 58 years. Their daughter Marla was born in 1960 and son Scott in 1962. Both were the loves of her life, and she supported them in their endeavors and interests and held them tightly during challenges and defeats. She took them to swimming lessons, piano lessons, boy scouts, bowling leagues, and became the girl scout leader of her daughter Marla’s troop with Janet Kline. She hosted birthday and Halloween parties, slumber parties and at times hosted her children’s friends for as long as 2 weeks. She planned special vacations each year throughout the U.S. and Canada until her children were adults. She loved having people in her home and all who came never left hungry, unhappy, or unappreciated. She was an authentic classy lady of grace, fashion, and hospitality.

Upon the closing of Hostetter’s, Twila was hired as a pharmacy technician with Medco and Standard Drug, which eventually became CVS.   She worked primarily at the CVS pharmacy in the Valley Mall under the management of Donnie Shifflett. She deeply respected him and loved going to work with Mildred and Sandy. After Marla and Scott left home and Cletus wanted more time hunting, Twila traveled extensively and often with CVS store employees Bea Reedy and Bea McWilliams.   She traveled to the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Morocco, Spain, and her favorite trips were to Austria and Hawaii. On these trips she met Ed and Janice Strickler who became life-long friends of Twila.

In 1995, Twila was blessed with the birth of her only grandchild, Brittany, and loved her as much as her two children and soon retired to be available to help take care of Brittany while Marla worked. There were many happy, joyous, and peaceful memories of the time the family spent around the large dining room table enjoying Twila’s scrumptious meals or sitting on the deck in the backyard being entertained by the family pets. Twila had an uncanny relationship with wildlife and the family would witness for 7 years her relationship with a squirrel which she fed by hand, Rusty. This squirrel would eventually trust Twila by bringing her babies out of a tree to rest by Twila’s feet while at the clothesline. When the squirrel had finished taking food up to its nest, it would return to Twila, taking her babies back up the tree.

Twila was determined to keep a strong bond with her younger siblings. The area of West Virginia where she grew up that had been so remote, developed into a wildlife refuge and a 4-season resort not far from their childhood home called Canaan Valley. Her siblings, all living in separate states, found their way back to this area for family reunions and birthdays.  Her oldest brother Tommy, upon retiring in Maryland permanently moved back and became the Magistrate of Tucker County. Her sister Nina, who lived in Delaware also had a vacation home built in nearby Thomas. They would gather and each were able to talk about difficult times of childhood but with pride in their determination and faith to live a better life. A highlight of these gatherings was Twila’s cooking!

Later, when Scott became a teacher in Rockingham County Schools and then a professor at JMU, Twila and Clete were present at every event Scott directed. Scott’s own students developed a fondness and love for Twila and Cletus. It was not unusual for Marla and Scott to visit their parents, finding Scott’s students sitting at the table eating, or on the back deck with Twila and Cletus.

Twila was an icon of strength, determination, love and support for the trials and tribulations that faced her family. She embraced the relationships of Marla, Scott and Brittany and welcomed them in her home but was clear how protective she was of her husband, children, and granddaughter. She took to heart any pain they experienced in their relationships with others. She welcomed door to door individuals from other religious beliefs who wanted to share their faith, but only if she was allowed to share her faith and love of Christ also. With the disappointment Marla experienced as a college freshman, mom supported her withdrawal from college and escorted her downtown to a local bank where Marla was hired on the spot as a banker. Marla thrived in the banking business and eventually acquired college credits paid for by banks and mortgage companies. Prior to her death, Marla became an international mortgage processor. Twila glowed the day Marla called to share that she was working on a mortgage for Mickey Rooney who was currently standing in her Los Angeles office. When Scott was unhappy with an engineering major as a college freshman, she firmly reminded him of the gift God gave him with his musical talents and told him he would never be fulfilled if he did not pursue a career with his talents. Twila glowed at every recital, concert, church service and later with his achievement with an additional degree and a license in college student personnel administration. Twila encouraged Brittany to go into nursing as she had the stamina, heart and perseverance for an occupation that was in demand. Another joy of Twila’s was seeing that Brittany was happily married and experiencing her own love of travel as a traveling nurse.

Twila endured many losses. Besides being preceded in death by her grandparents and mother, she was preceded in death by her husband Cletus, her daughter Marla Gail, and all her siblings: Tommy Turner, Howard Turner, Nina Carr and Norman Turner. She was also preceded in death by all her traveling companions, many church friends, and childhood friends. She is survived by her loving and devoted son, Scott, and his partner Brian whom Twila loved as her own and embraced for 20 years. She is also survived by her beautiful granddaughter Brittany Scott and husband, Logan who quickly learned to know the beauty of Twila in the short amount of time he knew her. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and especially appreciated the frequent visits from her nieces Diane and Sherri from Delaware.

Twila was a member and attended Harrisonburg First church of the Brethren for many years and became a member of the newly formed Sunrise Church of the Brethren.   She also attended her son’s church, Linville Creek Church of the Brethren. Scott would like to thank these and the many other churches that sent cards and flowers to Twila and held her up in prayer while a resident at VMRC. A special thanks to Deacon Moose Miller and Pastor Jan Orndorff for their faithful visits to Twila at VMRC. Scott would also like to thank the many staff members who demonstrated to Twila compassion, care, and love, Twila had a special bond with volunteer, Shannon Mongold.

Twila’s wishes were fulfilled with a private graveside service held by Pastor Nathan Hollenberg and VMRC chaplain Carmen Miller at Eastlawn Memorial Gardens. A celebration of her life is open to all who knew and loved Twila on Saturday, June 22nd at 4:00 P.M. It will be held at Linville Creek Church of the Brethren, 409 Brethren Road, Broadway, VA 22815.

In lieu of flowers, Scott would like to encourage anyone reading this to choose at least one individual you know in a skilled nursing facility, and visit.

Online condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.mcmullenfh.com.

McMullen Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.