Dalene Therese Smither

Dalene Therese Smither, 79, of Huntsville, Texas, passed away peacefully at home with family on September 20, 2022. Dalene was born in Fostoria, Ohio, to Ralph Herman Zender and Mae Catherine Thiry on November 9, 1942. At a young age of 16 she married Melvin Dierksheide and they had four children. After the famous "blizzard of '78" they moved south to Alabama. In 1982 Dalene moved to Huntsville, Texas, with daughter Theresa and son David. In 1989 she obtained her real estate license, and she and Theresa opened Heart of Texas Real Estate & Management Company, where she worked for over thirty years until her retirement in 2019. In 1993 she married Charles W. Smither, Jr. until his death in 2019. They enjoyed many years & special times together with family & friends. Her greatest legacy, as well as her deepest joy, were her 4 children, 21 grandchildren & 10 great grandchildren. She was always up for a game of Rummy, and spent countless hours playing it with grandchildren, who always felt welcome coming over and helping themselves to potato chips, Reese's peanut butter cups, and Lipton lemon sweet tea! She was the queen of Scrabble, and did not often lose, but she was always ready to set up a grandchild if that meant blocking their parents! She also enjoyed a game of bowling or pool. She was known for her peanut butter fudge and her green bean casserole. She showed her children and grandchildren the value of hard work and steadiness. She owned many rentals, and renovated and cleaned them herself, often enlisting the help of a grandchild or two. She was very predictable in her habits - work at 9AM precisely, lunch at noon at Cafe Texan, and leave the office at 5PM. Sunday morning at 8AM she called daughter Fawn - every week for 35 years - and then she was at either Theresa's or David's house. She was at many birthday parties, and enjoyed grandchildren's sports games, concerts and awards ceremonies. Dalene was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her late husband Charles W. Smither, Jr., first husband Melvin Dierksheide, and grandson Jessie Smith (4/8/22). She is survived and will be lovingly remembered by her children Robin (and Norma) Dierksheide, Fawn Smith, Theresa (and Jim) Frazier, and David (and Kelly Vera) Dierksheide; niece Dalene Zender; siblings Albert Zender, DeAnna Rumschlag, Dolores Franklin, and Roland Zender; twenty grandchildren - Jasmine, Jamie, Hannah, Tucker, James, Heidi, Toby, Michael, William, John, Elijah, Daniel, Madeleine, Mary Anne, Seth, Andrew, Julie, Noah, Eileen, and Kylie; and ten great-grandchildren! Visitation will be 5-7 PM Friday evening with the Rosary at 6:40 PM at Sam Houston Memorial Funeral Home - 1700 Normal Park; Huntsville, TX 77340. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday September 24, at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church located at 24001 Aldine Westfield Road; Spring, Texas, with Rev. Fr. Stephen Reid officiating. Burial will follow at 1:00 PM at Oakwood Cemetery at 9th St. & Ave. I in Huntsville, Texas. The family appreciates all of the prayers and support during this time. Memorial condolences to the family may be made at www.shmfh.com.

Dalene Therese Smither

November 9, 1942 - September 20, 2022