Katharina (Strobl) Smith

Katharina Smith, age 85, died Saturday, January 9, 2021 at her home in Mesquite, Nevada.  She was born October 22, 1935 in Valencia, Hungary to Ignatz and Rosalia Strobl, and she was married to John L. Smith. In 1945, the Russians confiscated Katharina’s family’s home, land and vineyards in Nadap, Hungary.  They were exiled from Hungary with her mother not knowing the whereabouts of her husband and sons.  Her husband, one son and an uncle, were impressed into the German army, one son in the Hungarian army.  Her mother took one younger son and two daughters (Kathy and Rosalia) and only 40 pounds of food with them.  Placed in trains, they went to Austria and later to Germany where they lived in prisoner of war camps for a period of time.  They moved several times, settling in Eberbach, Germany until they emigrated to a town near Manchester, England, working in cotton mills making uniforms for the British army.
After the war, the Red Cross located Kathy’s father and two brothers and reunited the family before they went to England.  They moved back to Germany to prepare for immigration to the United States which occurred in 1955.  They settled in Cleveland, Ohio in a Hungarian neighborhood called “Buckeye”.  Kathy, her parents and sister, Rosalia all moved to California around 1963.
Kathy met John at her place of work in January 1965 and they were married shortly after on May 1, 1965 in Las Vegas, NV. They moved to Colorado in 1969 where they raised their two children, Lillian and John.  Kathy worked for Coors for 23 years where she was proud to have never missed a day of work.  After retiring, Kathy and John moved to Mesquite, Nevada where they have called home for 20 years.
John, an ordained Roman Catholic  Deacon , and Kathy were awarded the Cross Pro Ecclesia Et Pontifice (Cross for the Church and Pontiff), one of the highest awards the church can give any person for service to the church in the Archdiocese of Denver.
Kathy was a wonderful woman of great faith, a superb wife, and loving mother, all that God would hope for in a Christian. Everyone called her mom as a term of endearment because of her loving and caring heart.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, her children, four grandchildren, one great grandchild, her sister; Rosalia and numerous nieces and nephews.
Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, January 21, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. at the La Virgen de Guadalupe Catholic Church (reservations are required to attend mass).  Friends and family are invited to view the recorded stream of the service any time after 12 pm PST (noon) on January 21st via YouTube. Go to YouTube and search for La Virgen De Guadalupe Catholic Church.  Friends and family are invited to sign our online guest book at www.virginvalleymortuary.com