Elva Todd Smith

On January 5, 2018, Elva left her adoring family and returned home after a six-month long fight to recover from cancer surgery. She was born in Modesto, California, on July 21, 1931, to parents Boyd Henry Todd and Fern Idona Johnson. Their family struggled under great hardships, she being the eighth of ten children during the depression. After high school, her family moved to Reno, Nevada, to open a tire business. There, she met her future husband, Val Dale Smith, after watching him perform in a vocal quartet. They married in the Mesa temple on June 1, 1951, and moved to Panaca for three years, where they looked forward to their first child, Dale, who died during childbirth on January 20, 1953. In 1954, they moved to Moapa Valley where they raised six more children in Logandale and Overton, Nevada. She fulfilled many callings as a member of the LDS Church and spent countless hours on genealogy, family histories, and indexing. She served as a temple ordinance worker for over 20 years within four different temples and also served two missions with her husband. She and Val retired to Syracuse, Utah, to live closer to most of their children and grandchildren. She was also preceded in death by her grandson, Alexander. She is survived by her husband, Val, and two sisters—Reanon (Blaine) Elmer and Leola (Gib) Jones, and six children—Jerry (Gina), Roy (Julie), Dan, Glen (Jeri), Peggy (Ron), and Judy (Doug), and former daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Lewis, and nineteen grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, January 19, 2018, at the LDS chapel in Syracuse, Utah, 3024 S. 1200 W. Friends and family may visit Thursday, January 18, from 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Russon Brothers Mortuary, 1941 N Main in Farmington, or Friday, 9:45-10:45 am, at the church. Interment will follow at the Syracuse City Cemetery.