Marjorie, second daughter of Blanch (Arnold) Searl and Charles Searl was born on June 11, 1921 at Coin, Iowa. She passed away on August 29, 2009 at 88 years of age. She was one of six children, three boys and three girls. She grew up in Coin, Iowa and loved that town. She was willing to do anything to help the progress of Coin and designed the Centennial Medallion. Coin was a small town, but it had all the freedom for any family and they felt safe and secure in Coin.
Marjorie attended grade school, junior high, and high school in Coin and graduated with the Class of 1939. Her sixth grade teacher, Frances Cadwell Hayner, used her love of the Lord in her classroom and from that point on Marjorie was a faithful follower of the Lord. She enjoyed sports and was on the high school basketball team for four years. Later in life she followed every one of her children's sports events. She was a cheerleader and lent her musical talents wherever they were needed.
On November 4, 1939 she was united in marriage to William "Bill" Smiley of rural Coin and to this union were born four children; William Gene, Cheryl Colleen and twins, Donald Lee and Dennis Dee.
Marjorie became an expert seamstress and took training at Ames, IA to teach tailoring in Page County. She sang in a trio for the Methodist Church for 40 years with Lois Jean Braymen and Virginia Henderson, who have both gone to meet our Heavenly Father. She was also a soloist and sang for over 1,000 funerals.
Marjorie inherited talents of sign painting and drawing from her father and grandfather Searl. When a teenager, she drew paper dolls for all of the children in Coin and later in life she drew them for her daughter and neighborhood children. She decorated goose and ostrich eggs and was selected to show her eggs at the Governor's Recreational Workshop in Des Moines. She loved to be around people, always giving of herself and wanting to help others. The most important thing in her life was loving the Lord and praising him in song. She loved her family dearly. In her love of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren she was like a "mother hen" wanting to draw them all under her wing.
Bill Smiley passed away on June 21, 1977 and in 1986 Marjorie moved to a home on West Street in Shenandoah. With the onset of health problems, she moved to Forest Park Manor in 1996 and enjoyed many friends there. With deteriorating health, she moved to Garden View Care Center in the fall of 2008.
She leaves behind her four children; Gene Smiley and his wife Carol of Waukesha, WI; Cheryl Mankle and husband Richard of Billings, MT; Donald Smiley of Lincoln, NE; and Dennis Smiley also of Lincoln, NE; ten grandchildren; Chris Mankle, Todd Mankle, Leta Mankle Lintern, Sara Smiley-Robbins, Kristina Smiley Cross, Scott Smiley, Mandi Smiley, Zachary Smiley, Shelby Smiley, and Hannah Smiley; fourteen great-grandchildren; Samantha Johnson, Chase Hickey, Eamon Mankle, Liam Mankle, Grace Mankle, Cade Mankle, Sydney Moore, Bayley Moore, Dylan Smiley, Este Smiley, Tatum Smiley, Gwen Smiley, Sofia Lintern, and Nolan Lintern; and a sister Wanda Finlay. She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers; Charles, Richard, and Marion (also known as Bob) and a sister Frances.