Our beloved beautiful mother, Laura Ann Smith Cartwright Loween, passed away quietly at home on Oct. 7, 2015, after a long hard battle with Ovarian Cancer. Laura was born on Aug. 25, 1946, to Maryann (Szabo) and Douglas R. Smith and was taken home from the hospital to Canyon Ferry Dam where her father worked for the Montana Power Co.

The family moved to Wolf Creek and resided at Holter Dam. She went to Wolf Creek schools, until eighth grade. In her eighth grade annual, she had said that she wanted to be a doctor. She went to high school in Helena. She started work at the Oasis Restaurant in Wolf Creek when the men at Montana Power went on strike, to help the family with money. She was very frightened and didn’t want to be there, but she stayed through high school and was very close to the woman who owned it. She called her “aunt Francis”.

She then moved to Great Falls, where she met her husband Joseph Cartwright. From there the family moved to Kalispell to Whitefish and back to Kalispell, raising five girls and working as a CNA and a waitress. Through various troubles and trials, and being a single mother, she finally got to go to nursing school in Helena, and became an LPN, her dream of being a nurse fulfilled. This brought her to the Polson and Pablo area where her parents had resided.

Laura started her nursing career at St. Luke’s Hospital in Ronan, then was at Mountain View Care Center for many years and retired from there.

Laura enjoyed being a nurse, showing compassion and love and had a great sense of humor. Laura helped take care of her own mother through her failing years of health.

Laura enjoyed music, dancing, reading, her animals, watching “Jeopardy” and camping, but most of all she enjoyed and loved her family. She loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Grandma Laura was the fun grandma, always being silly and making the children laugh. She was often also called the “cool grandma.”

Laura was diagnosed with OVC (ovarian cancer) in January 2014 and fought the battle of cancer with strength, dignity and humor with no complaining or feeling sorry for herself, she was never ready to give up or give in and she was determined to fight the cancer with all she had to the very end with Joseph Cartwright and her five daughters by her side.

Laura is preceded in death by her father, Douglas R. Smith; her mother, Maryann Szabo Smith Reum, and her brother Daniel E. Smith.

Laura will be greatly missed by her family.

She is survived by her brother, Douglas Smith; five daughters, Leslie Smith and Todd Hayes, Jeannie Cartwright, Maryjo and Josh Anderson, Shari Cartwright and Penny and Clint Morgan; her grandchildren, Joseph Stanley, Trista Stanley, Bruce Rennich, Ian and Stacy Urban, Christy Urban, Michael Urban, Daniel and Lynn Cartwright, Devin and Maegan Lester, Jessica Lester, Rebecca Lester, Chris Anderson, Rowen Anderson, Joshua and Nicole Powell, Matthew and Karen Powell, Nakira Morgan and Noah Morgan; great-grandchildren, Phoenix Rennich, Boomy Rennich, Lily Rennich, Mason Urban, Chevy Reum, Cameron Urban, Eric Urban, Oaklynn Lester, Daniel Cartwright, Jr., Hadley Lester, Michael Powell, Katie Powell, Madden Powell and Shyann Powell.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Terrace Lake Community Church in Ronan. Memories and condolences may be sent to the family at www.thelakefuneralhomeandcrematory.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.