Sharon Mae Smith, 81, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, passed away peacefully on March 28, 2026, surrounded by family after a short battle with cancer.
She was born May 1, 1944, to the late Harvey Carlos and Marie Bell (Kalkas) Smith. She and her six siblings were raised in Norwich, but she attended school in Shenandoah and completed through the ninth grade. From a young age she would begin what turned out to be a variety of different work in different positions including: Henry Fields Nursery of Shenandoah, The Wire Factory in Murry, and Red Oak Greenhouse where her employment ended due to a neck injury.
With a giggle, she would tell you that she had never been married. By law, however, she did in fact have two husbands. The late Charles Daughenbaugh of Des Moines with whom she had her only daughter, Melissa Foster, and spent 11 years with. Later in life she met Dennis Brown of South Carolina and shared almost 30 years.
Over the years, Sharon stayed busy with her love of gardening, house plants, her faith and her unique talent for DIY crafts and décor. She was a lover of butterflies, pink flowers and psalms. Anyone who knew her had been cured once or twice by her apothecary methods. She was ever present in the raising of her four grandchildren. Sharon was a devoted family member, matriarch and friend. She had a profound influence on everyone she encountered and will be missed more than words could express.
Sharon is preceded in death by her mother, Marie Bell Kalkas; father, Harvey Carlos Smith; brother, Richard Smith; sister, Alice Drago; sister, Dorothy Ward; brother, Charles (Bud) Smith; brother, Leland (Swede) Smith; and niece, Chris Turnbull. She is survived by daughter, Melissa Foster and husband Mike of Shenandoah; grandson, Brice Reed of Council Bluffs; grandson, Kenton Schooling and wife Tiffany of Council Bluffs; granddaughter, Whisper Ford and husband Steven of Shenandoah; grandson, Torry Brown of Shenandoah; great grandchildren, Kaiden Schooling, Tessie Wilson-Wood, CJ Wood, Karter Schooling, Kinnick Schooling, Calista Ford, Spencer Ford, and Logan Ford; brother, Leroy Smith of Red Oak; nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends. Many more called her mother that are not mentioned.
There are no services planned at this time.
