Laura "Doda" Mae Smith

Laura Mae “Doda” Smith, “Ma’hpiya Waste Winyan” (Good Cloud Woman), 46 of the Spirit Lake Nation, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday evening, November 11, 2018 surrounded by her loving family.

The Wake for Laura will be on Monday, November 19, 2018 beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Woodlake Wellness Center, Tokio, ND with a Rosary and Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. The procession to Tokio will leave from the City Plaza on Monday at 4:00 p.m.

Funeral Services for Laura will be held on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. also at the Woodlake Wellness Center with Father Paul Schuster and Bishop Michael Cole officiating. Laura will be laid to rest in St. Michael’s Cemetery next to her twin sister, Laurie, united again forever. 

Laura Mae was born May 28, 1972 in Devils Lake, ND to Calvin and Violet (Thompson) Smith Sr. She grew up on the Spirit Lake Nation.  She attended school at St. Michael Tribal School, Four Winds Community School and later went to Job Corp at Trapper Creek in Montana, receiving her G.E.D. and a Culinary Arts Certificate. 

Laura was always striving to learn, to be better able to serve her community. She received the Brownsfield Development Project Certificate of Completion and the Volunteer and Leadership Program Certificate of Completion from Cankdeska Cikana Community College in 2003; completed the BIA Water Resource Technician Training Program at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM in 2004; CDA Training for Head Start in 2011; Indianpreneurship Training Certificate of Completion from United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck in 2014 and was also working towards her Associates Degree in Early Childhood until medical issues worsened. 

Laura was employed at one time as a Security Officer at the Spirit Lake Casino and Resort and the Spirit Lake Head Start Program as a Teacher Assistant. She loved working with the babies.  Laura was also employed at Cankdeska Cikana Community College Café.  She was active in her church, Gospel Outreach Ministries-Open Doors.  Laura loved being involved in community events/activities whether she was planning, setting up, participating or cleaning, you would see her doing it with a smile.  She was actively involved in the WoDakota Traditional Court and participated in the Suicide Prevention Program events until medical issues arose. 

Laura was a surrogate Mom to many of her nieces and nephews. She was very proud of all of them and they all knew it.  Laura never had children of her own, so her bond with her nieces, nephews and godchildren was very special to her and she always enjoyed her time spent with them.

Doda was a very special woman who loved and gave with all her heart, respected everyone she crossed paths with, loved living life to the fullest and always helped wherever and whenever needed. “Always love, never forgotten, forever missed”.

Laura leaves behind her loving family. Parents Calvin and Violet Smith Sr., Tokio, ND; brothers Vance Thompson Sr., Aaron (Carrie) Thompson Sr., Adrian (Stephanie) Thompson, Waylon Smith, Lonnie Smith and Calvin “Bud” Smith Jr.; sisters Amanda (Roger) Smith and Candice Smith; grandmothers Elizabeth Lawrence and Pauline Greywater; aunts Josephine Smith, Geraldine Redfox, Viola Thompson, Corrine Brown, Yvonne Thompson, Ella Lafrombois, Sharon Georgeson, Hilda Garcia, Alberta Redfox, Dianne Jackson and Sheila Thompson; uncles David Smith, Roger Brown, Duane Jackson Sr. and Aloysius Cloud; adopted son Jourdain “Babez” Smith; adopted sisters Clarice WindyBoy Fox and Cora Whiteman; godmother Carol Black; godchildren Tori Longie and Brec Smith; adopted family Demus McDonald family, her kodas Cheryl McKay, Deanna Lufkins, Jolene St. Clair, Mariam Vega, Justine Littlewind, Chrystal Leftbear and Larissa Leftbear. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. 

She was preceded in death by her twin sister Laurie Ann Smith; nephew Ashton Thompson; paternal grandparents Simon and Sarah Smith; maternal grandparents Mary Jackson and John Thompson; godfather Elmer White Sr. and many, many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Active Pallbearers: Jourdain Smith, Waylon Smith, Lonnie Smith, Vance Thompson Sr., Alfred Jesse Jackson, Dylan Smith, Archie Redfox III and Jason Thompson.

Honorary Pallbearers: Lonna Street and family, Darcie Delorme and family, Karen Jackson and family, Amy Brown and family, Holly Brown and family, Starr Hunt and family, Carrie Ann Smith and family, Selina and Jacob Abraham and family, Marcella Thompson, Sandy Joramo, Paul and Robin Lawrence, Phaedra Jackson, Myrna Whiteshield, Joseph and Clarice Lawrence, Lisa Burdick, Chrystal McKay, Rosita McKay, Paula Deckert, Paul Stensland, Leann Alberts, Caroline Greywind, Marlin Little, Myra Hunt, Melvin Langstaff, Laura Lacroix, Desiree Lohnes, Mary Cavanaugh and family, Michelle Cavanaugh and family, Bonita Morin, Burton and Barbara Jackson, Roger Yankton, James (Cathy) Yankton, Quentin Yankton, Alfred Longie, Valerie (Lawrence) Bull, Andrea (Roger) Ironshield, Jackie Yankton, Paulette (Jerry) Lenoir, Celeste Herman, Nicole Longie, Cheryl Ironhawk, Sally Paul, Louis and Lois Chaske, Bertha Greely, Doris Thompson, Adrian Jackson, Etta Jackson, Debbie Little, Bonnie Leftbear and family, Daveta and Dane Cavanaugh, Darlene and Kevin Wadsworth, Daniel and Marilyn Peltier, Debbie LaVallie, Colleen Chaske, Lisa Chaske, Yvonne Georgeson, Delphine McKay, Kimberly Cavanaugh, Butch and Paula Goulet, Adrianne Jackson, Debbie Jackson, Natalie Hunts A Long, Russel Brown, Rochelle Guy, Eldwin Guy, Sam Merrick, Rose Merrick, Martina Jackson, Marty Jackson, Gabriel Shaw, Georgia Dubois, Marty Alex and Faye Thomas. If we forgot to name anyone at this difficult time, it was not intentional. God bless  you all. 

Music provided by Lake Region Singers and all other Drum Groups are welcome to share their music.

The family would like to THANK Stephanie and Gilbertson Funeral Home, Tribal Health Transportation Staff/Drivers, Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, CHI, St. Alexius, Devils Lake, the Dialysis Unit Staff in Jamestown and the Spirit Lake EMT’s who worked so hard to save her.