Individual Details
Haven Norris Smith
(28 May 1909 - 12 May 1997)
Events
| Birth | 28 May 1909 | Chappell, Deuel, Nebraska | |||
| Marriage | 27 Aug 1931 | Shenandoah, Page, Iowa - Virginia Dodd |  |  | |
| Death | 12 May 1997 | Sun City, Maricopa, Arizona | | ||
| Obituary | 14 May 1997 | Lincoln Journal Star - Lincoln, Lancaster, Nebraska | | | |
| Burial | Rose Hill Cemetery, Shenandoah, Page, Iowa | |
Families
| Spouse | Virginia Dodd (1911 - 2006) |
| Father | Fred Eber Smith (1874 - 1948) |
| Mother | June Angeline Mower (1874 - 1935) |
| Sibling | Vernice Smith (1903 - 1995) |
| Sibling | Alice May Smith (1906 - 1995) |
| Sibling | Theodore Roosevelt Smith (1907 - 1992) |
| Sibling | Chester G. Smith (1912 - 1922) |
| Sibling | Burton Eber Smith (1916 - 2012) |
Notes
Marriage
They were married by Rev. J. McKenzie. Witnesses to the ceremony were J. Paul McKenzie and Jean Whitney.Obituary
Chappell (AP) - Haven Smith, husband of longtime U.S. Rep. Virginia Smith of Nebraska, died Monday in Arizona. He was 87. Smith and his wife had retired to Sun City West, Ariz., after she retired from Congress in 1991. He died at a Sun City West, Ariz., hospital. He had suffered from a series of heart problems. Viriginia Smith described her husband as a quiet man, humble, self-effacing, loyal, faithful, hard-working, generous. "How blessed i have been to have shared 65 years of life with this beautiful man," she said. Smith was born on a farm near Chappell in western Nebraska. He married Virginia dodd in 1931. The two of them farmed near Chappell, earned their college degrees and did extensive traveling. During those travels, Virginia Smith built a reputation as an influential speaker. A Republican, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 and served eight terms. Haven Smith served unofficially as private secretary and adviser for his wife, who won most of her elections in landslide fashion in Nebraska's sprawling 3rd District. "Haven Smith was from a whole different generation, but he was the epitome of a modern man," said Rep. Bill Barrett, A Republican who succeeded Smith in representing the 3rd District. "Earlier in his life he was a successful farmer and a leader among Nebraska producers and Virginia was at his side. After his retirement, he was right there at her side, cooking, cleaning and being a house husband while she pursued her political career." He said the two were "a team no matter who was in the spotlight." In Chappell, Haven Smith had served as president of the Rotary Club, Deuel County Farm Bureau and Farmers Elevator Co. board. He also was a member of the United Methodist Church board and active in the Masonic Lodge. The Smiths established a scholarship fund years ago to provide 55 scholarships for $1,000 each year to deserving students in 24 western Nebraska counties. Funeral services for Smith are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at the United Methodist Church in Chappell. Visitation will be at the Smith family home 5-7 p.m. Thursday in Chappell that the couple maintained after moving to Arizona. Memorials may be sent to the United Methodist church or the University of Nebraska Foundation for research in nutritional enhancement of agricultural products.Endnotes
1. "Iowa Marriage Records, 1880-1940," Ancestry.com, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 October 2018), digital image, "Return of Marriage to Clerk of District Court," Certificate No. 73-09762; Iowa Department of Health; Record Group 048; State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa.
2. "Former Rep. Smith's husband dies," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, 14 May 1997, p. 3B, col. 3-6; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2018).
3. "Former Rep. Smith's husband dies," Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star, 14 May 1997, p. 3B, col. 3-6; digital image, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2018).
4. Ancestry.com, Find-A-Grave, database with digital images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 15 October 2018), Memorial No. 123363544.