Zada Ann Smith passed away on September 11, 2021. She was born on June 24, 1929 in Downey. Zada and her older sister, Joyce, were the daughters of Warren and Violet Schumer. They grew up in and around the Oroville area. Later, Zada obtained her AA degree and worked for some time in Sacramento.

In 1953, she married Robert J. Smith and began her new life in Fortuna. They were married for over 59 years until Bob’s passing in 2013. Zada was for the most part a “stay at home” mom that focused on raising her two sons and taking care of the house and family. She did have some various part time jobs that she enjoyed over the years. Her Christian faith was also an important part of her life.

For the most part, Zada was content to stay close to home. After Bob’s retirement they did venture out and do a cross country trip in their fifth wheeler to Nashville. After, Bob’s health began to fail, Zada took over the driving in the pick-up truck until she finally conceded to hang it up at the age of 90 (probably a good thing).

Zada is survived by her two sons, Steven (Debbie) of Fortuna and Harley (Kris) of Willow Creek, her step-daughter Suzi Franken (Arie) of Elfin Forest and their two children Sander and Lisa along with several nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Especially You Assisted Living in Eureka and Hospice of Humboldt for the compassionate and excellent care in the last few months of her life.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Zada Smith’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.