Gail Marie Smith

Gail Marie Smith, age 67, of Viola, passed away peacefully Thursday, May 14, 2020, at Vernon Memorial Hospital. She was born February 4, 1953, at South Shore Hospital in Chicago, Illinois to Maximillian and LaVerne (Cowin) Lichnerowicz. Gail had a kind and caring disposition towards anyone she encountered and she embraced the good company of family and friends. Gail loved her children and her grandchildren with a passion. One of Gail’s favorite pastimes was traveling West with Ben, her loving husband of 45 years. Gail worked for 28 years at Kickapoo Elementary School where she cared for the students and staff like she cared for her own family. She enjoyed being active, listening to Motown music and George Strait, watching the Wizard of Oz, taking in nature’s beauty, baking cookies around the holidays, and compassionately helping others in times of need. Survivors include her husband Ben; her mother LaVerne; two sons: Ben (Jana) Smith Jr. of Lakewood, IL, Jake (Gabrielle) Smith of Covington, LA; grandchildren: Addison, Owen, and Hunter; eight siblings: Alan (Ann) Lichnerowicz, Nancy (Phil) Kowalczyk; Janet McBroom, Jim Lichnerowicz, Sue (Carter) Rickey, Joyce (Mark) Zelenika, Paul Lichnerowicz, Randy Lichnerowicz; other relatives and friends. Gail was preceded in death by her father. A Celebration of Gail’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of sending flowers, please donate to the Kickapoo Elementary School in Gail’s honor. All funds that are donated will be used to purchase school supplies for students, provide support for the Future Teachers Account, and help fund the “Shop with a Firefighter” program – a noble cause that Gail started at Kickapoo to help local families in need at Christmastime. To donate, please send a check to the Kickapoo Area School District in Viola, WI with a notation of Gail’s name on the memo line. Gail’s family extends a very sincere thank you to Vernon Memorial Hospital and Vernon Memorial Hospice for the compassionate care they provided. Vosseteig Funeral Home in Viroqua is serving Gail’s family. Online Condolences may be expressed at www.vossfh.com. Vosseteig-Larson Funeral Home 123 W. Decker Street Viroqua, WI 54665 608-637-2100