Edith May (Bollinger) Poppert Smith

Edith passed away at her Litchfield Park home at the age of 81. She was born in Mount Vernon, Illinois spending most of her youth in Tucson Arizona. Edith was the 6th born of the Eldon & Ruby Bollinger Family and preceded in death by her late husband Ivan Smith.

She was the caring and loving mother of 6 children and is survived by: Sons - Rex, Jeff, Daniel; Daughter: Patricia; Brother; Roy Bollinger; Grandchildren: 10; Great grandchildren: 11; Great-great grandchildren: 4; Great-great-great grandchildren: 1

Funeral Services will be on Monday, December 12, 2022 @ 10:30AM at: Greenwood Memorial Cemetery 719 North 27th Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85009

Please join us in person or at the following YouTube by clicking on the following video link: https://youtu.be/99CmZsTnBwQ (If link is broken, copy and paste (or type) into your web browser address bar and hit enter.)

Edith's life story:

Edith was born February 26, 1941, in Mount Vernon Illinois to the Bollinger family.

Edith was the sixth of the Bollinger children.

Jean Brown September 19, 1927 – October 8, 2017

Wanda Edwards March 29, 1931 – February 13, 2019

Edward Bollinger August 21, 1933 – April 12, 2016

Peggy Brownrigg August 26, 1936 – December 5, 2015

Roy Bollinger March 4, 1938

Edith Smith February 26, 1941 – December 1, 2022

Edith’s father Eldon Howard Bollinger passed away February 17, 1985, at the age of 81 with liver complications. Edith’s mother, Ruby Dee Bollinger, passed away July 22, 2001, at the age of 97 with congestive heart failure. They were loving and devoted parents. Working hard all their lives giving their children love and Christian values.

Edith’s early years incorporated frequent family moves including to Cairo and Salem Illinois and Marshall Missouri. Edith was 6 when the family moved to Tucson, Arizona; except for Jean who was friends with her future life partner and didn’t want to leave. Eldon’s health required a dry climate. Eldon and Ruby where happy with the change. They continued to raise their family and lived the rest of their lives in Tucson.

Now in Tucson with five children to support, Eldon and Ruby faced financial tough times. They bought a small two-bedroom adobe house on Missouri Street. All five children shared one bedroom. The whole house was warmed by one small heater in the living room. A swamp cooler cooled the house during the long hot summers. There was one bathroom with a shower. The house was on septic tank.

Everyone on Missouri street knew each other. All the children intermingled. They would play baseball, hide and seek, jacks, ride bicycles. Eldon did not have a car and took the bus downtown to work. Sometimes he would walk the five miles to and five miles from work to save the dime bus fare. The grocery store was two blocks away and the groceries had to be carried home in your arms. Most of the children went barefooted in the summer. The Bollinger children had one good pair of shoes for church or dress up. When Christmas time rolled around, each child got one present. Edith got a small rubber doll that drank from a bottle and wet itself. She was envious of her friend Ann because she got a doll that walked and hair that could be combed. Children played marbles, dolls, put sheets on the clothesline to make a tent, and used their imaginations to create fun.

There were no cell phones, CD/DVD’s. Telephones were a five-party line. Blocks of ice cooled your refrigerator. Laundry was done with two tubs using a wringer and scrub board. A clothesline was your dryer. There was no such thing as credit cards or charge accounts at department stores. People would lay away merchandise, make payments and when the price of the item was paid in full take the product home.

There were no rides to school. Walking was the only way to get there, and books were very heavy to carry. Edith went to school at C. E. Rose Elementary, Wakefield Jr. High, Tucson and Pueblo High. She graduated in 1959.

Edith was 16 when she married Ronald Dee Poppert who was in the United States Air

Force. Edith was 19 when Rex Randall was born at Davis Monahan AFB.

Ronald was transferred to Misawa AFB in Japan. Edith was then 20 and she and Rex moved to Japan to be with Ronald where they lived for 2 ½ years. In 1963, at age 22, Edith’s second son Arlan Shayne was born. Ronald and family next transferred to Eglin AFB in Florida where Edith ‘s third son Jeffery Scott was born.

Ronald was then transferred to Thailand for a year. Edith and the boys moved back to Tucson while he was there.

Once again Ronald transferred and this time to an Air Force Base in Colorado Springs. Edith and the boys joined Ronald there. They adopted a precious daughter Patricia Lynn who was five months old. The boys were so excited to have a baby sister.

In 1968 Edith and Ronald got a divorce. Edith was amazing and resilient. She worked at Ampex and the State of Colorado paid her books and tuition for nine months training at Blair Business College. After graduating, Edith and the four children moved back to Tucson, Arizona. Edith had a very hard time supporting her family. Finding a babysitter and help for four children was nearly impossible. Eldon got her a job at Hughes aircraft. She worked there for one year then she met Ivan Smith and his two sons Dan and John. Edith and Ivan got married on May 1, 1971, and they were now a happy family of six. Dan was already married and had one son which made Edith a grandmother at 30.

The Smith family moved from Tucson to Mississippi for better job opportunities. Six months later the family moved to Metairie, Louisiana and several months later they moved to Simi Valley, California where they lived for several years before moving to Phoenix.

For about a year, Edith & Ivan were proprietors of College Park, a paperback bookstore. Ivan did all the ordering and set-up of the books to be sold. Their children helped tend the store.

Edith and Ivan started their own successful family business Magazine Sales Consultants. They employed up to 13 people which included 7 family members. Edith worked as the bookkeeper for 20 years. Edith was 54 years old when the business was sold, and they retired.

Edith and Ivan traveled to many places over the years; New York, Hollywood, Paris, Rome, London, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland as well as, visiting and spending time with her extended family in Holland.

Edith and Ivan then moved to their forever home in Litchfield Park, Arizona in 1995. Edith was so happy with their new home and was thankful not to be traveling anymore.

Ivan was just recovering from a heart attack and could not help with the move. So, Roy, Ed and Russ miraculously moved everything from the 47th Avenue house. Their new home had 3 bedrooms, plus 1 large room for the cats, 3 baths, and a 3-car garage. Ivan made a work shop out of 1 bay of the garage utilizing it to make many wood projects.

On May 1st, 2013, Edith and Ivan celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary there.

Edith kept her self-busy. She enjoyed having her mother Ruby over to go shopping or spend the night. She helped Ruby move into a nursing home. Edith and her sister Peggy went to visit Ruby frequently to help get the things she needed. Ruby was entertaining and they always enjoyed their visits with her.

Edith has always been fond of cats. In recent years, Edith had 17 indoor cats and took care of up to 3 outdoor stray cats. In addition, she fed 30-40 waiting pigeons daily in front of her house. Edith kept busy cleaning cat boxes, feeding, combing hair, and vet visits and of course, spoiling the cats. Edith became known as the “CAT LADY.” Over time Edith’s cat population has reduced from 17 to 7 indoor cats plus a couple outside strays.

Edith and Ivan always made their house available for family visitors to stay weeks at a time. Her brothers Roy and Eddie would come to visit Ruby and stay at Edith’s house while in town, sometimes bringing their wives with them. Edith would provide the best home cooked full course dinners ever. Edith enjoyed taking care of her house and yard. She helped Ivan with his needs starting in 1995 after his heart by-pass surgery and his back pain from falling off a ladder from the roof.

Edith and Peggy always loved dolls. They made dolls and would have fun dressing them up and styling their hair. It was fun purchasing the heads, hair and deciding the skin tones, hair color, size. They had planned on going into business making and selling dolls until they found out the cost of making a single doll and the price they would have to charge.

On May 25, 2018, Ivan passed away with heart problems. After Ivan’s passing, as always Patty, Rex, and Jeff remained good at calling, emailing, and visiting their mom. They each helped there Mom out with home maintenance needs. Patty and her husband Greg drove out from Florida and installed safety devices in the master bathroom. Patty made quilts that Edith loved and adored. Dan and his wife Shary have always remained close and spent considerable time with Edith and Ivan. After Ivan’s death they still have maintained their close relationship and help. Edith continued living by herself entertaining family & friends. Edith, like her mother Ruby, was always positive and a joy to talk with. Edith looked forward and enjoyed her weekly shopping and luncheon outings with her two sisters Peggy and Wanda before their passing.

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Sadly, in Edith’s lifetime she mourned the death of many family members who will greet her in heaven:

Two sons who died as young men. Arlan in an automobile accident at 21 & John from an illness

Grandchild Rex’s Son Jeffery died in 2013

Parents Eldon and Ruby

Sisters Jean, Wanda, Peggy

Brother Edward

List of Surviving Family

Dan & Shary Smith

4 Children Chris, Mindy, Shawn, Tim

4 Grandchildren Riley, Madison, Hunter, Ashley

4 Great Grandchildren Logan, Alexis, Kassidy, Kaiden

1 Great-Great Grandchildren Milia

Greg & Patty Olmstead

1 Child Devan

Jeff & Angela Poppert

2 Children Crystalyn, Marshall

3 Grandchildren Aidan, Christian, Isabel

Rex Poppert

5 Children Stephanie, Michael, Xzavier, Xzaden, and Damazen

4 Grandchildren Adia, Kaleb, Leo, and Kasen

WE MISS YOU EDITH MAY SMITH

Please join us in person or at the following YouTube by clicking on the following video link:

https://youtu.be/99CmZsTnBwQ

NOTE: The link is active; before, during the live service on December 12, 2022 @ 10:30AM and clicking on link after service will allow you to view the saved 10:30 Service