Lorean (Brazil) Smith, 87, of St. Paul, formerly of Overland Park, died at 4:25 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, 2005, at Prairie Mission Retirement Village in St. Paul. She had been in failing health. She was born Jan. 14, 1918, in Greenbush to Frank and Mary (LaForge) Brazil. She graduated from St. Francis High School in St. Paul in 1936 with a normal training (teaching) certificate. She taught in one-room country schools. One of those schools, Lone Elm, is now a museum in St. Paul. She attended Pittsburg State Teachers College in Pittsburg and graduated valedictorian from Tomlinson Vocational School at St. Petersburg, Fla. She worked in Kansas City as a legal secretary for the then-prestigious law firm of Blackmar, Swanson, Midgley, Jones and Eager. She also worked as secretary to the assistant director of the Federal Housing Administration when Vivian Truman was director of the Kansas City office of FHA and his brother, Harry S. Truman, was president of the United States. She also worked at McDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla., during World War II. She married Forest Smith on May 4, 1940, in St. Aloysius Church in Greenbush. They had no children of their own, but were close to and loved by their brothers, sisters, their many nieces, nephews and their families. Her devotion and faith in God was a shining example to the younger generations of the family. She will forever be remembered and loved. Survivors include her husband of 65 years, Forest of the home; a sister, Mary Lou Schleicher of Overland Park; a brother, Chris Brazil of Chanute; and many nieces, nephews and their families, as well as other family members and friends. She was preceded in death by two brothers, Joe Patrick Brazil and William Brazil; and seven sisters, Cora Coomes, Anna Beachner, Frances Diskin, Bernadette Diskin, Euphrasia Diskin, Josephine Banta and Ada Jones. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Catholic Church in St. Paul with the Rev. Daniel Vacca officiating. Burial will be in St. Francis Cemetery. The rosary will be at 7 p.m. today at the church, where family will receive friends following the rosary. Memorials to Alzheimer's Disease Association, Prairie Mission Retirement Village Chapel Fund or to the donor's choice may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, 405 Main, Parsons.

Obituary, Parsons Sun, August 17, 2005.