OBITUARY

Helen Marie (Pavell) Smith, 87, of Blairsville, PA passed away on Friday, June 10, 2011 at St. Andrew's Village, Indiana, PA.

A daughter of Andrew J. and Ann V. (Burlas) Pavell, she was born November 30, 1923 in Whitney, PA.

Mrs. Smith was a member of SS Simon & Jude Roman Catholic Church, Blairsville, where she was a Eucharistic minister and member of Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Theresa #562 for more than 60 years.

She graduated from Blairsville High School in 1941 and from St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing in 1945. She was veteran of the Army Nurse Corps, having served in Japan during World War II from 1945 to 1946. She worked at Torrance State Hospital from 1946 to 1949 and was postmaster at the Blairsville Post Office from 1949 to 1956.

Surviving are a son, Kevin J. Smith and wife, Marianne of Blairsville; two grandsons, Christopher Gongloff and wife, Amanda and Jason Gongloff and fiance, Rachel; two great grandsons; a brother, Regis J. Pavell and wife, Marcia of Yreka, CA; a sister, Susan Yourish and husband, Stanley of Latrobe and two sisters-in-law, Sarah Pavell of Colorado and Ann Pavell of Blairsville.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, John Clair Smith in 2008; a son, Regis J. Smith in 2009; two brothers, William J. Pavell and Andrew J. Pavell and a sister, Rita Pavell.

The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. Monday at the Shoemaker Funeral Home, Inc., 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville, where a Wake service will be held at 8:30 P.M. Monday. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday at SS Simon & Jude Roman Catholic Church, Blairsville, with Fr. Chester J. Raimer as celebrant.

Interment will be in the Blairsville Cemetery, Blairsville. Catholic Daughters of the Americas will recite the rosary in the funeral home on Monday at 3:00 P.M. Military services will be accorded by the Blairsville VFW Post #5821 and the American Legion Post #0407.

Memorial contributions may be made to the SS Simon & Jude Roof Project, 155 N. Brady St., Blairsville, PA 15717.