Carol Marie (Churchbaugh) Smell
July 31, 1934 ~ January 28, 2024
Carol Marie (Churchbaugh) Smell, 89, of Ottawa, KS died Sunday, January 28, 2024 at Vintage Park in Ottawa, Kansas.
She was born July 31, 1934 in Lawrence, Kansas the daughter of Marshall and Letha (Montgomery) Churchbaugh. Carol’s first job at a young age was ironing, she was proud to share she was earning $0.15 an hour, she shared her ironing expertise with her kids and grandkids. She graduated from Baldwin High School in 1951 and worked for J.C. Penney as a bookkeeper and then KU Endowment. On June 17, 1955, Carol was united in marriage to William Neill Smell and they spent 64 loving years together before his passing on July 5, 2019.
Together they purchased Briscoe Drug in 1969 where Carol kept the books for 30 years. After retirement, Bill and Carol moved to Bella Vista, AR for 15 years. They then returned to Ottawa in 2015 to be near family.
Carol spent her days outdoors in the flower gardens, always digging in the dirt and growing beautiful plants. When she was indoors she was found in the kitchen, wearing an apron with flour on her hands. She loved sharing her amazing baking skills with her family, her church family at Westminster Presbyterian and her friends. She often opened her kitchen to share her baking talent with others teaching the art of bread and pie baking. Carol was a member of P.E.O. Chapter GL, participated in many Bible studies and women’s groups. She was known as a prayer warrior with handwritten notes of her prayer list that she prayed for often.
She was preceded in death by her husband, William Smell; her parents, Marshall and Letha Churchbaugh; her sister, JoAnn VanHoesen; and her son-in-law, Joel Nichols.
She is survived by a daughter, Linda Tucker and her husband, Joe, of Princeton, KS; a son, Kevin Smell and his wife, Carolyn, of Overland Park, KS; a brother, Ron Churchbaugh of Shawnee, KS; 5 grandchildren, Aaron Nichols and his wife, Lindsay, of Princeton, KS, Jessica Callaghan and her husband, Brett, of Ottawa, KS, Amanda Jo Brown and her husband, Drew, of Gardner, KS, Kyle Smell of Overland Park, KS, and Caitlin Smell of Overland Park, KS; and 7 great-grandchildren.
Memorial service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 3, 2024 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Ottawa, KS. Inurnment will follow at Highland Cemetery, Ottawa, KS. Memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church and sent c/o Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, P.O. Box 14, Ottawa, KS 66067. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.lamb-roberts.com.