Donna LaNeill Smith, 65, was born Feb. 24, 1945, in Kansas City, the daughter of George Neil and Helen Louise (Caywood) Smith.
She had two sisters, Lana Wilson and Terri Heitz.
She graduated from El Dorado Springs High School in 1963. She attended Pitts-burg State University and Southwest MO University. She received her B.S. in Library Science from Emporia State, her Master’s degree from KU and became the Cancer Registrar at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She was a Master Gardener.
She worked for Jack and Pauline Simone during high school. Early on, she was interested in Medical Records and she made that her lifelong career. She worked at Nevada State Hospital, V.A. Hospital in Kansas City, St. John’s Hospital and Cox Medical Center in Springfield, Ellett Memorial Hospital in Appleton City, Suburban Hospital in KC, Tucson Medical Center, Phoenix Medical Center and worked for several years two different times at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She retired in October 2008 due to ill health.
Most of her most pleasant times were spent with her family, Loel, Lana and Lee Wilson, Dale, Terri, Cliff and Ashley Heitz, her great nieces and nephews: Lacie, Adi, Asa and Parker, her two nieces-in-law, Stacey Wilson and Michelle Heitz, and, just this past July, her new nephew–in-law, David Rogers.
She was diagnosed in 2007 with terminal cancer along with a short life expectancy but she lived three and a half years and the family spent many happy times making all the memories they could. She was treated by Dr. Matthew Stein. He and his staff were tireless in their quest to make her life as long as possible and still have quality. She and the family were grateful for the time that she had.
She died on Oct. 6, 2010, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital where she spent many hours working in the Medical Records Department. She made the decision to donate her body to K.U. Medical Center in hopes that it might help in finding a cure for her disease. At a later date, her remains will be sent to the family and she will be buried next to her dad and mother at the Bethel Campground Cemetery in Benton County, near Edwards, MO.
Donna not only leaves behind her Wilson and Heitz families, she is survived by three cousins - Steve Smith, Jaxcene Beisner and Jill Price of El Dorado Springs, two uncles and several other cousins.
Friends and family are invited to a remembrance of Donna’s life to be held at the Smith family home at 305 Allison Road, Saturday, Oct. 16. Please feel free to come any time between 2 and 5 p.m.
The family requests donations be made to the High Hopes Chapter of the American Cancer Society in care of Janice Carter, 3324 S. 311 Road, El Dorado Springs, MO 64744.
