Joan Smith, 76, of Mapleton, Kansas, formerly of Farlington, passed away, Monday, June 23, 2014, at Mercy Health of Joplin.

Joan was born February 11, 1938, in rural McCune to Robert E. and Pauline Bever Townsend. She lived most of her life in the Farlington area before moving to Mapleton in 1999. She was a 1955 graduate of Girard High School. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Pittsburg State University and taught for 27 years in the Girard School District, first at Greenbush and later at Haderlein Elementary in Girard, retiring in 1999.

She married Nels A. Smith on August 4, 1955, in Farlington. He survives her at the home. Additional survivors include her children Katharine (Ralph) Stegen, Oro Valley, Arizona, Charlotte (Bill) Hollomon, Owasso, Oklahoma, Mark (Anne) Smith, Shawnee, Kansas, and Stacey (Kenneth) Cline, Mapleton, Kansas; a brother, Brian Townsend, Cedar Falls, Iowa; her stepmother, Margaret Townsend, Farlington, Kansas; her 11 grandchildren, Adriann Snow, Brandy Williams, Aaron Smith, Jessica Sangale, Jené Bradham, K. C. Cline, Dana Humphrey, Ashley Smith, Andrew Stegen, Lauren Cline, and Garrett Cline, and 11 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother, Robert E. Townsend, and a sister, Betty Jean Townsend.

Memorial Service

Memorial services will be 10 a.m., Saturday, June 28, 2014, at Farlington United Methodist Church with burial in the Farlington Cemetery.

Memorial Contributions

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Girard High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 268, Girard, Kansas 66743.