Klara Julianne Smitley

Klara Julianne Smitley, age 81, of New Philadelphia, died peacefully in her home early Tuesday morning, July 17, 2007.Born at Munich, Germany, August 25, 1925, she was a daughter of the late Henry and Klara Machler.As a young lady Klara was reared in Germany by her grandmother on a goose farm where the byproducts were used to make bedding. There, young Klara developed an appreciation of nature’s beauty. All her life, she recalled the joy she found in riding a swing while listening to the chirp of birds in nearby trees. Klara was reared in the catholic faith during the rise of the Third Reich in Germany. She never dreamed that she would one day own her own Bible to read study and interpret in her own way as an American citizen. Following World War II, Klara met and fell in love with an American army soldier, the late Thomas Smitley. The couple wed September 27, 1948, at Munich. Klara traveled with her husband to the United States and began to live an extraordinary life. She taught herself to read, write and speak American English, and with the help of a local police officer, she learned to drive. Klara’s family moved over the years as her husband’s military career took them overseas and domestically from Ohio to South Carolina, to Montana where she worked as a nurse’s aid in a nursing home before spending a year residing in Texas prior to Mr. Smitley’s retirement. In 1968, Klara and her husband moved to New Philadelphia, where she went right to work as a waitress in various restaurants including the former Delphian Motor Inn, the Holiday Inn, and the former Sid’s Steakhouse. For her family, Klara was a loving wife and mother who made a house a home. Described as a very caring person, she was always looking out for others. Klara will be remembered for her home made jelly, for her well-tended gardens and for her deeply committed faith which grew as she enjoyed her American liberties. Klara enjoyed programming on the Trinity Broadcasting Network and delighted in personal study of the Bible. Her favorite two favorite sayings “Where there is a will, there is a way” and “With God, all things are possible” serve as beautiful epitaphs for her family. She leaves behind a family that includes daughters Kathe (Joe) Lewis of Kearney, Missouri, Klara (Chuck) Beatty of Pataskala, Ohio, son Thomas (DaVonna ) Smitley of Kansas City, Missouri, and daughter Thelma Siegenthaler of New Philadelphia, her brother, Mandy (Annaliese) Machler and sister, Elizabeth Kronawitter, all of Munich, Germany. Eleven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren also survive.Klara will be sadly missed by her sisters-in-law; Marge Menapace of Dennison, Dorothy Waller of New Philadelphia, Libby (Jerry) Hahn of New Philadelphia, Neva Marsh of Dover, and Shirley Richards of Chipley, Florida, brothers-in-law; Clarence (Shirley) Smitley of New Philadelphia, Dan (Robin) Smitley of New Philadelphia, Curtis “Houg” Walton of New Philadelphia, her late husband’s uncle, Clarence Smitley and many nieces and nephews complete the family.In addition to her parents and husband, Klara was preceded in death by her sisters-in-law Betty, Mildred and Beatrice, and a brother-in-law Phillip. Friends are invited to call Friday afternoon from 1PM Â? 2PM in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia where Pastor Henry Mooney will lead Mrs. Smitley’s funeral ceremony at 2 PM in the funeral home’s chapel. Burial will follow in East Avenue Cemetery. The Smitley family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Trinity Broadcasting Network, P O Box A Santa Ana, CA 92711.