On Saturday, April 18, 2020, at home in Lake Jackson, Texas surrounded by her daughters, Wendy Lu Smades, 64, went to be with Jesus. She was a beloved mom, grandma, wife, sister, and woman of God. Wendy was born March 1, 1956 in Crawford, Nebraska to Arnold and Myrna (Holder) Johnson.
She grew up in Nebraska and graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. She married Mark Smades, in Wichita, Kansas in 1979 while working at Mobile as a process engineer.
She then joined the Dow Chemical Co. in Freeport, TX in 1979. This began her 38 plus years of serving Dow in many capacities with her largest contributions made in chemical manufacturing, process engineering, and process safety. She was an AIChE Fellow and was recognized for developing process safety programs for universities. She truly loved engineering and giving back to the field in her retired years.
After the birth of their first daughter, Amber, in 1982, the family joined Chapelwood UMC. This began a joyous adventure of serving the Lord through many avenues. After daughters Crystal (1985) and Shayna (1989) were born, her involvement grew as she became a Sunday school teacher, youth missions volunteer, band mom, avid Emmaus and Chrysalis supporter, and served on multiple church committees. She never turned down an opportunity to serve and glorify God.
We will remember her strength, courage, determination, love of God, and selflessness. She gave so much, was a wonderful listener, and was always ready to share helpful advice. In her daughter's eyes, she perfected the role of superwoman by seamlessly juggling a busy career while being the involved mom who could do it all. She impacted many through her ability to find joy in every situation and loved the simple things of life like a beautiful sunset, a purring cat, or a blooming flower.
Wendy was preceded in death by her husband Mark in 2015. Surviving Wendy are her daughters, Amber Mees (Brian, Crystal Whitby (David, and Shayna Meier (Zach); granddaughters, Madison, Abby, Ellie and grandson, Will all residing in Houston, TX. Wendy is also survived by her father and mother, Arnold and Myrna Johnson; brother, Webb (Dianne) Johnson of Crawford, NE; and nieces, Haley (Art) Anders also of Crawford, NE Angie (Mike) O'Bryan of Chadron, NE, and Kelsey (Tehl) Keslar of Blair, NE; and many great nieces and nephews all residing in Nebraska.
A Memorial service will be planned at a later date to take place at Chapelwood United Methodist Church in Lake Jackson, TX.