Leona "Lee" D. Smith

Leona “Lee” Smith, age 95, passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025 in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. The daughter of Leonard and Julianna (Sietz) Hudge, she was born June 11, 1930, in Belleville, Michigan. On June 23, 1951, she married Bert Smith of Willis, Michigan and together they raised three daughters, Luanne Schonfeld, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 61; Susan (Larry) Nutson of Chicago, Illinois and Carol (Wally) Cross of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Lee also leaves seven dearly loved grandchildren: Matt (Meagan) Schonfeld and Katie (Craig) DeVoto both of Ann Arbor, MI; Natalie (Josh) Barney, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Laura (Jake) Williams, Beverly, MA; Stefan (Megan) Cross, Plymouth, MI; Kyle Cross, Rochester, MI; and Sam Cross, Royal Oak, MI. She also leaves eight precious great-grandchildren: Lucas Schonfeld, Emma and Adam DeVoto, Jane, William and Jack Barney and Charlotte and Jackson Cross as well as two special sisters-in-law, Mary Anne Hudge of Ann Arbor, MI and Flo Lorey of Oldsmar, FL, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Pat and Don Freitag of South Carolina and much-loved Goddaughter, Nancy (Hudge) Bailey of Ann Arbor, MI. In 2016, Lee lost her beloved husband with whom she shared close to 65 years of marriage. She was also predeceased by three younger brothers, Ed, Bill and Tom Hudge. One brother survives, Jim (Carol) Hudge of Locanto, FL. Prior to their move to Tecumseh, Michigan in 1979, Lee and Bert resided in Belleville, Michigan where they were active members of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church and the Belleville Kiwanis Club. Lee’s life centered not only around her husband and family but on journalism. From the age of 16, she wrote for the Ypsilanti Press, the Senior Voice in Sebewaing and the Belleville Enterprise and Romulus Roman, where she was Suburban Living Editor and wrote a column under the kickers All Around the Town with Lee and Potpourri. She was also a charter member of the Michigan Women’s Press Club. The move to Tecumseh ended her ties with those papers. With “columns still kicking around in her head,” she then approached Jim Lincoln, publisher of the Tecumseh Herald and she was hired on the spot, her column becoming part of the newspaper for 38 years. Her work for the Herald was recognized at the state level in 2000, when she took first place in the MPA Better Newspaper contest. She had no formal education in journalism. Writing was a God-given talent. Avid golfers at the time, Lee and Bert joined Tecumseh Country Club and were members for 35 years. Their love of golfing took them coast-to-coast in the USA and Nova Scotia often with groups of friends from Belleville and Tecumseh. They never traveled without their golf clubs and a good book; both being avid readers. Lee also made many friends through her affiliation with the Saline chapter of the Red Hat Society. In 2016, Lee moved to Story Point, Ann Arbor, where she established To the Point, a quarterly newspaper which she edited, wrote and did the layout. In 2022, Lee was moved to Sunrise of Grosse Pointe Assisted Living where she lived until her passing. We wish to thank the staff there who made her final years comfortable. Friends may join the family for a time of visitation on Monday, October 13, 2025 at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Saline, MI from 9:30 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 A.M. with Fr. John Linden as Celebrant. Following the service inurnment will take place in the St. Andrew Church Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital are appreciated. Donations can be made by visiting www.stjude.org/donate and envelopes will be available at the Church. To leave a memory you have of Lee, for directions or to sign her online guestbook please visit www.rbfhsaline.com

Tributes

Leona "Lee" D. Smith

June 11, 1930 - August 22, 2025