Ralph Edward Smith and Peggy Joyce White
were united in marriage on July 25, 1953. Ralph is the son of Ralph and Henrietta Smith and Peggy is the daughter of Jim and
Ora White. Ralph and Peggy made their home in St. Louis, Missouri.
On September 15, 1954 their first child
was born. The child was a little girl and they named her Sheila Joyce Smith. They continued to live in St. Louis, Missouri
until their second child, another daughter which they named Theresa Ann Smith was born on April 2, 1957.
At this time, Ralph, Peggy, and their
2 daughters moved to Hopewell, Missouri in a small 4 room house. Ralph worked for Dick Hall making storm windows and Peggy
stayed at home taking care of their girls and their home. Peggy stayed busy making the girls clothes, canning fruits
and vegetables, and chasing the kids. She was very active in the girl's school activities, including PTA and 4-H.
On April 22, 1962, Ralph and Peggy had
another child. This child was a little boy and they named him Ralph Edward Smith Jr. They all continued to live in Hopewell,
Missouri in the house they were renting and eventually bought.
The family enjoyed country life. They
spent their time camping, fishing, tending their garden and fixing their home and yard. Over the years, Ralph added 2 rooms
to their house, a bathroom and a large kitchen. The family also was thrilled when Dad installed running water and a bathroom
indoors and they were able to stop using "The Hundred Mile" (their outdoor toilet) Ralph also added three sheds and a greenhouse
to their property. One of the sheds was called "The Condo" where Ralph would disappear to at night or in the evenings to watch
the TV he had put in the shed and enjoy the peace and quiet.
The children all attended Hopewell School
until they reached the 6th grade and then went on to Potosi Schools.
On April 25, 1972 another daughter was
born. They named her Lori Ellen Smith.
Ralph went to work at McDonald Douglas
where he helped to build airplanes and Peggy eventually went to work as a car hop for Sonic.
At the age of 18 after graduating from
Potosi High School, their daughter Sheila left home to go into the Army. Sheila later met and married Roy Garcia and they
had 2 daughters named Elizabeth and Emily.
Theresa left home before graduating and
married Larry Dontrich and they had 3 son named Darrell, Greg, and Danny. Larry worked for Chryler Corp. and Theresa worked
for Brown Shoe for many years.
Ralph Jr., also known as Ed to his family,
left home after graduating from Potosi High School and went into the Air Force. Ed later met and married Sherri and they had
a son named Adam and 2 daughters named Heather and Tiffany.
Lori left home after graduating and went
to college in Springfield, Missouri where she was studying to become a teacher. Lori later met and married Jim Farley and
they had 2 sons named Jonathan and Jordon.
Sheila worked in food service most of
her life and resides in San Antonio, Texas. Theresa is now working from home on the computer in Newburg, Missouri. Lori works
for a bank and still goes to college and lives with her family in Barnhart, Missouri. Ed went to work in communications once
he left the Air Force and his wife Sherri works for Kroger. They still live in Fort Worth, Texas.
The family continued to grow and eventually
the grandchildren grew up, graduated, and started to marry and have children of their own.
Darrell Dontrich(Theresa's oldest son)
met and married Jessica and went to work at Chrysler where his father had worked for many years. Darrell and Jessica divorced
a few years later and Darrell lived with his father Larry in Hopewell, Missouri for several years after their divorce. Darrell
recently moved in with his girlfriend Jessica Williams in Kirkwood, Missouri. Darrell still works for Chrysler. Darrell
has no children.
Elizabeth Garcia(Sheila's oldest daughter) has
recently married and her husband's name is Zee. Elizabeth is also the proud mother of a son named Jake and they all live in
San Antonio, Texas.
Heather Gray (Ed's oldest daughter) met
and married Roger Gray and they live in Fort Worth, Texas. Roger and Heather now have a son named Niko who is about 7 months
old.
Tiffany Countryman (Ed's youngest daughter)
met and married Jared Countryman and they live in Fort Worth, Texas. They are expecting their first child ( a little girl)
in April 2006.
Greg Dontrich (Theresa's second son) met
and married Bobbi Jo and they now have a son named Anthony who is 3 years old and they live in Stony Point, Missouri. Greg
works for Chrysler and Bobbi Jo is currently attending school for Data Entry. Greg and Bobbi Jo are also expecting their second
child in August 2006.
Emily Garcia (Sheila's youngest daughter)
was not lucky enough to grow up and marry. She was abducted, raped, and murdered in San Antonio, Texas in 1993 at the
age of 15. She was pregnant with a little boy at the time of her murder and her mother and Aunt Theresa are still working
to try to find her killer.
Danny Dontrich (Theresa's youngest son)
works for a cabinet company in Bismark, Missouri and lives in Hopewell with his girlfriend Amanda and their new baby boy Nathaniel (Nate)
who is about 2 months old now.
Adam Smith (Ed's son) is still at home
and going to school. He lives with his parents in Richland Hills, Texas.
Jonathan and Jordan Farley ( Lori's
sons) also are still at home and going to school. They live in Barnhart, Missouri with their family.
Ralph and Peggy were very proud of their
family and they enjoyed 45 long years of happiness together before Ralph passed away from cancer. Peggy ended up selling the
family home in Hopewell after Ralph's death and moved to Poplar Bluff, Missouri where she still remains.
The family may be far apart
in distance, but no matter what, they are always close in heart.
