lenore (hughes) smitherman knight

8 April 1920 - 27 October 2014

Lenore Smitherman Knight died peacefully on October 27, 2014, at the Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg, Oregon, at the age of 94. Lenore is survived by her husband Fred Knight; her four children, Ken (Karen) Smitherman, Jacque (Howard) Mylander, Joy (Jake) Lehman, and David (Cheryl) Smitherman; Fred's three children, Barbara Childs, Joyce (Ed) Johnson, and Dick (Linda) Knight; 21 grandchildren; and 33 great-grandchildren. Lenore was preceded in death by her first husband, Charlton; her parents, Lou and Gladys Hughes; two infant sisters, Zona Gayle and Joy; adult brothers, Wendell and Leroy, and son-in-law, Bill Childs.
Lenore was born the second child to Lou and Gladys Hughes on April 8, 1920, in Haviland, Kansas. Her parents pastored in Friends Churches and also farmed in Texas. She graduated from Booker High School, Booker, Texas; attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, Oklahoma, and Barclay College, Haviland, Kansas; and graduated from Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. Lenore married Charlton Smitherman on April 5, 1941, in Booker, Texas. In their first year of marriage, she and Charlton both taught school near Bucklin, Kansas. She taught six students in four grades in a little country school house.
Lenore's life was first of all a commitment to Christ and being a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was an accomplished pianist and seamstress, and in retirement she enjoyed painting and ceramics. In her professional life she taught in both Christian and public schools. In 1954 she and Charlton moved with their family from Salem, Oregon, to Greenleaf, Idaho, where she taught at Greenleaf Friends Academy, and later at both Wilson and Washington Elementary Schools in Caldwell, Idaho.
Charlton and Lenore both retired from education in 1980 and moved to their farm near Greenleaf. They enjoyed the farm, serving faithfully in their home church at Greenleaf, traveling, and doting on their grandchildren before Charlton's death in January 1993.
In July 1994, Lenore married longtime family friend Fred Knight, and they began a new phase of their lives as they each shared their love and devotion to each other's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Through Fred's mentoring, Lenore became an avid fisherman, oftentimes besting Fred in the day's catch. They enjoyed traveling and spent time in the United Kingdom and the Holy Land, as well as making frequent trips to visit their extended family.
Fred and Lenore moved from their home in Caldwell to Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg, Oregon, in 2004. They enjoyed ten years of living in an environment that included many lifelong friends.
The memorial service to celebrate Lenore's life is scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2014, at 1:00 PM at the Greenleaf Friends Church, Greenleaf, Idaho. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Greenleaf Friends Academy, Greenleaf, Idaho. A private family burial will take place at the Greenleaf Cemetery, preceding the memorial service.
The family would like to thank Providence Hospice and the Friendsview Retirement Community caregivers for the special care Lenore was given during her final days.