Mary Ellen “Ma Bucket” Smith, 82, of Union City, passed away Friday, May 8, 2020 at ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital.
A public visitation will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation in Union City. The number of visitors in the building will be monitored by staff to comply with state restrictions.
A private memorial service will be held at the Lighthouse with Pastor Marty Burdick from the Union City Wesleyan Church officiating. Following cremation, Mary will be laid to rest privately with her husband at West Girard Cemetery on River Road.
Mary was born June 11, 1937 in Coldwater, Michigan to Zonald and Mary (Harmon) Clark. She graduated from Tekonsha High School in 1955. She worked at the Old’s Grill in Tekonsha and that is where she met the love of her life, Bruce “Jake” Smith. On June 7, 1956, she married Jake in Union City. He preceded her in death in 2003.
Mary and Jake moved to Pontiac shortly after they were married. Mary was very involved with her children’s school there in Ponitac. She was known as the hotdog lady at school and even helped with recess time, which was every kid’s dream to have their mother watching over them at recess.
In 1975, the family moved back to Union City and purchased the St. Joe Tavern on the south end of Union City. They renamed it “The Bucket” and operated the family business together for many years. Mary retired in 2014 and her grandson, Tony Smith, continues to operate The Bucket with his wife Maggie and his mother, Ellen Smith.
Through the years Mary was in charge of many charity events at The Bucket. She was extremely generous and always put others first. She was a big supporter of the Union City Alumni Scholarship Fund for many years. She was a ray of sunshine to many and always had a big smile on her face no matter what she was going through. She was a loving mother and grandmother. Loyalty was important to her and family was always treated like family.
Mary loved to sing to her grandchildren, especially just before bed. She attended all of their school and sporting events. She was so proud of her grandchildren. She loved to travel, most recently to Las Vegas and to Hawaii with her granddaughter. It was a very memorable time.
Mary is survived by her children, Ellen Smith of Union City and Kyle (Athena) Smith of Athens; grandchildren Tony (Maggie) Smith of Union City, Jamie (Sarah) Smith and Samantha Smith of Battle Creek, Melissa (Dominic) Torman of Battle Creek, and Mary Lynn Smith, Kelly Smith and Kennedy Smith, all of Athens; great-grandchildren Cassi Smith, Gracie Scherry, Jacob Smith, Armony Smith, Dillon DeCair and several others; many nieces and nephews; and her siblings, Tom (Karen) Clark of Union City and Cindy (John) Philo of Union City.
In addition to her husband, Jake, Mary was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Kevin Smith (1979); sisters, Zonalda Robson and Shirley Morley (March 29, 2020); brothers-in-law Neal Robson, Paul Morley, and Robert “Bob” Smith; and her sister-in-law Loretta Carpenter.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the American Cancer Society, 1755 Abbey Road, East Lansing, MI 48823.
