After 97 wonderful years of faithful service as a follower of Jesus, Marie Smith was promoted to her heavenly home July 20, 2019. She was the widow of Frank W. Smith, former president of Open Bible Churches and long-time pastor of First Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines, Iowa.
Memorial services were held in both Tulsa, where she lived for many years, and Des Moines, where she was dearly loved as a gracious, elegant, and loving pastor’s wife and president’s wife.
Daisy “Marie” Olga Christensen Smith was born on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1922, in Charles City, Iowa. Marie’s life journey was a walk of unwavering faith. She fully surrendered her life to the Lord Jesus in August of 1936, devoting herself to prayer and worship. Upon graduation from West High School in Waterloo, Iowa, she moved to Des Moines to attend Open Bible Institute. God used her rich alto voice for His glory for weddings, funerals, and radio ministry. After graduation in 1944, she joined her sister in Washington D.C. and worked for the Civil Aeronautics Administration during WWII. On August 15, 1945, VJ Day, after a whirlwind courtship, 23-year-old Marie married her former teacher and pastor, Frank W. Smith, whose first wife had passed away. Marie moved into the parsonage and instantly became pastor’s wife, homemaker, and mother to two grieving boys. With on-the-job training, Marie applied her God-given wisdom and common sense to fulfill each role. She created a home filled with joy, laughter, and especially music. Together, she and Frank pastored First Church of the Open Bible in Des Moines for over 37 years. A licensed minister, she was actively involved in ministry alongside her husband as song leader, soloist, and inspiration. As Marie would say, her heart’s desire was to serve on the mission field; instead, God called her to home missions.
After losing Frank in 1997, Marie moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to live near family. She made friends everywhere she went; she had a gift for making others feel valued. She was selected as the first Ms. Senior Oklahoma in 2006. While she had long been regarded as “the queen,” this title forever sealed her regal status. Her physical beauty, classy taste, quick wit, and genuine warmth resulted in quite a fan club. But it was her intimate relationship with Christ that made her irresistible. As one person said after hearing her read Psalm 139, “Marie knew the Man who wrote the Book.”
To read Marie’s full obituary, go to https://www.moorefuneral.com/obituaries/Marie-Smith-35/#!/Obituary
