Ouida Joan Smythe
Ouida Joan Smythe, 84, died at her Rogers City home August 2, 2022. She had a very peaceful death with her family by her bedside.
Ouida (wee-da) is survived by her husband, Jim; a daughter, Sherry Cashdollar of Mars, Pennsylvania; a son, Ronald Edinger of Boyers, Pennsyvlania; a daughter, Heather Talec of Iron Station, North Carolina; and a granddaughter, Sarah Stearns of Bloomdale, Ohio.
Quida was known for wearing long dresses and passing out her homemade cookies. On the morning of the pumpkin lighting we had a few years ago she got up early and baked 375 pumpkin cookies and passed them out around town and the rest were eaten at the lighting. She would say, “I want to be known as the cookie lady.” However those of us that have tasted her apple pie may disagree with her. Her pie was second to none.
Ouida got great pleasure in
Of all the things she did in life the thing that thrilled her the most was driving a big truck. At 47 years old she walked out of Mellon Bank where she worked her way up to head teller and went to truck driving school. After completing training no one would hire her because she was a woman so she bought her own truck and hauled steel coils. After her and her husband were married they drove as a team and hauled produce coast to coast.
“So I know wherever she is or whatever she is doing I am sure it somehow involves a big shinny black Peterbilt trimmed with chrome and lights.”