Viola J. Smoke

September 16, 2020

Viola J. Smoke was born January 23, 1931 in Syracuse, Kansas to Evan and Gladys Geiger.  She had two older sisters, Eva and Susie, and one younger brother John.  All have preceded her in death as well as her husband Loyal.  She is survived by her four children Scott (Cheryl), Concetta, Melissa (Russell), and Mark (Debbie).  Viola is also survived by her 4 grandchildren Collin (Matt), Derek (Lara), Graham and Patrick (Stevie), and 3 great grandchildren Carys, Colson, and James.

Viola, being born in the early 30’s survived what she always referred to as the “dirty thirties” which included the Great Depression.  This is only one of many factors that helped shape who she was and who she became.   She was raised on a small farm outside of Syracuse and graduated from Syracuse High School.  She moved to Limon, Colorado where she wed Vince Lewis and went to San Diego, California for two years while he was in the military.  Upon their return to Limon, they settled into building a home, building a life and raising the family in Limon.  Vi became a mother, businesswoman and a rather outspoken member of this community.  She spent many years working for the Colorado State Patrol as a dispatcher.  In fact, she was quite proud of the fact that she received an award from Governor Roy Romer for “manning” her post and sounding the tornado siren in 1990 to save many lives.  We laughed and told her next time she should just take cover.  She responded, “then who would sound the sirens?”.  

She married Loyal Smoke on December 31, 1988.  Upon Vi’s retirement, they travelled across the country to visit family and friends.  They loved to just pack up the van and drive.  She was in New Orleans two days before hurricane Katrina struck.  If she had stayed, they could have renamed the hurricane Vi.  They loved the east coast, west coast and everything in between.  In 2015, Vi and Loyal decided to relocate to Pampa, Texas.  Afterall, there were grandkids and great grandkids there, what could be better?

Faith and family were always of paramount importance to her.   If you ever called her with a problem, the first words out of her mouth were “I’ll pray for you” and she meant every word.  She always found peace in her faith in God.   Family was always of great importance to Vi.  There was never a loss of love or support from Mom.  One thing that she always said was if she knew grandchildren were so much fun, she would have skipped the children part of that equation.  We knew never to test her on this because we knew she meant every word.   

In closing, we’d like to ask on behalf of our Mom, Grandma, and Great Grandma, every time you watch a bird feeding, a squirrel in a tree, a tree blowing, or a little baby smiling, please think of her and say a big Thank You to God. 

The family would like to thank Meredith Place for the care and comfort she has received over the last three years.  In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to the

Pershing Memorial Cemetery Directory Fund      

P.O. Box 9

Limon, CO 80828