Rosie Arlene (Vandine) Smith

Rosie Arlene (Vandine) Smith went peacefully into the arms of the Lord on Friday, October 25, 2013 at 5:10 p.m. She was 79 years old and passed away of natural causes. She was residing at the Valley Vista Good Samaritan Society in Wamego, Kansas. Arlene was born July 9, 1934 in Cimarron, Kansas, the daughter of Thomas C. and Rosie A. (Lyon) Vandine. She grew up in Cimarron and graduated from Cimarron High School. On March 2, 1954 in Cimarron, Kansas, Arlene was united in marriage to Donald Smith. He preceded her in death on October 8, 2011. Arlene worked as a florist, basket weaver, factory worker and homemaker over the years. She was a Den mother for the Cub Scouts of America and a member of the Wamego First United Methodist Church. She also enjoyed volunteering at school, church, the hospital and other community events. She loved basket weaving, floral design, reading and listening to music. Her favorite authors were Ann Rice and Steven King and her favorite music group was the Mannheim Steamroller. Arlene and Don became well known as basket weavers, exhibiting their work in regional art fairs and galleries and earned several awards for both their basket weaving and floral designs. She was also a founding member of the Kansas Basket Weavers Guild. Arlene is survived by her two sons: Michael L. Smith and Amy Rausch and Brian C. Smith and wife Sharon all from Kansas City; one brother: Tomas Vandine; and two grandchildren: Matthew Weydemeyer and Sarah Smith. She was also preceded in death by her parents and stepfather, Kyle Lacy and her brother Carrol. Cremation has taken affect. A memorial service for Arlene will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 2013 at the Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to Grace Hospice of Topeka, Kansas and may be left in care of the Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego, P.O. Box 48, 66547.