Iva Smith

Iva A. Smith, 90, passed away Friday April 2, 2021 at Elmcroft of Reading, in the company of her daughter. She was the daughter of the late Alvin Harold Weeden and Iva A. (Stone) Weeden. Iva was preceded in death by her husband Neil R. Smith.

Mrs. Smith is survived by her daughter Nancy E. Smith of New Ringgold and her son Ryder P. Smith of Anaheim, California. Iva is also survived by two sisters; Jane Dyer of Baltimore Maryland and Nancy Martin Robbins of Providence Rhode Island. After receiving Masters Degrees in both History and Math, she was employed as a secondary education math teacher at Reading High School and Northwest Middle School.

She and her husband retired to the "sunny, sunny South" in DE, where she lived, fiercely independent, even after two hip replacements and the death of her husband. Gifted with an agile mind and wide-ranging interests, she stayed active and engaged throughout her later years, attending weekly water aerobics classes and playing Mahjong at the Fraim Center for Active Adults in Wilmington, DE where she maintained strong social ties. Whether planting milkweed for monarch butterflies, advocating for her community in the Chelsea Estates homeowners' association, or calling state senators to voice political concerns, Iva never abandoned her commitment to doing her part to make the world a better place. Nor did she ever miss an opportunity to support friends, neighbors, and extended family.  She reserved a special fondness for her nieces and nephews and their families and nurtured connection in spite of geographical distance.

Her last year was spent in assisted living in PA where she moved to be closer to her daughter.  Blindness caused by macular degeneration and glaucoma, lung cancer treatments, and the Covid pandemic brought multiple challenges, but Iva retained her fighting spirit, her sense of humor and much of her independence up to the very end.

In lieu of flowers, it was Iva's wish that anyone so moved make a contribution in her name  to a favorite charity.  A private memorial service may be held at a later date at the convenience of the family. Whelan Schwartz Funeral Home 444 N. 9th Street Reading is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be made at: www.whelanschwartz.com.