Joanna Riggs Smith

Joanna Riggs Smith age 81 of Greenville, Illinois, passed away at 1:46 a.m. Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis with her family by her side. Memorial funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, 2018 at the Greenville Free Methodist Church with Pastor Deb Somerville and Pastor Gregory Groves officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Auburn Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Church from 4 until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. until service time. For those who desire memorials in Joanna’s memory may be made to the Greenville Free Methodist Church or to the John & Dorothy Riggs Scholarship at Greenville University. The family has entrusted the Donnell-Wiegand Funeral Home with her care. Joanna Riggs, the daughter of Reverend John E. Riggs and Dorothy Gines Riggs, was born on March 26, 1937 in Bloomington, IN. Joanna was raised in St. Francisville, IL, Indianapolis, IN, and San Diego, CA. as her father pastored Free Methodist Churches there. Joanna came to Greenville College in 1955 for two years where she met her husband Robert E. Smith. She worked in Carbondale, moving to Taylor University where she was the secretary to the President. The family moved to Greenville in 1961 where Joanna worked for a total of 23 years at the switch board; then secretary for Del Catron, Tom Morgan, Jeannine Morgan, Orley Herron, and Rich Stephens, then did desk top publishing. Joanna retired in 1993 to become Greenville College’s First Lady for President Robert E. Smith. Joanna then worked with Ish as administrative assistant for Southern Illinois Fellowship of Christian Athletes from 2002 until 2015. Joanna is well known for her love of and collection of strawberries. Her new puppy “Jiggsy” brought her much happiness as she had to spend so much time at home. Joanna and Robert E. “Ish” Smith were united in marriage on August 30, 1957 in San Diego at the Hillcrest Free Methodist Church by her father and have enjoyed over 60 years together. Ish survives as do their two children: Charles Edward “Chuck” Smith (and wife Rene’) of Somerset Center, MI; Cynthia Kay “Cyndi Kay” Oglesby, of Greenville; 6 grandchildren: Christopher Benton Oglesby (and wife Kristen Fransca), Emily Jolene Smith, Kayce Joanna Oglesby, Caleb Charles Smith, Zachary Earl Smith, and Abigale G. Oglesby. Joanna is also survived brother Pearce Archer Riggs (and wife Bonnie) of Bothell, WA, and sisters Janet Sue Ames (and husband Art) of La Crescenta, CA, and Jeannine Riggs Morgan, (and husband Paul) of Carpenteria, Ca.