Gertie Mae Smith, 89, of Harrisonville, MO, died Monday, May 10, 2010 at Golden Years Care Center in Harrisonville. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2010 at the Atkinson Chapel in Harrisonville. Visitation 6:00-8:00 p.m. Thursday at the chapel. Burial in Garden City Cemetery, Garden City, MO. Memorial contrbutions may be made to Golden Years Care Center, 2001 Jefferson Parkway, Harrisonville, MO 64701 or Crossroads Hospice of Kansas City, 9237 Ward Parkway, Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64114.

Gertie was born May 25, 1920 in Little Rock, Arkansas to Louis H. and Minnie Maggie (Bilby) Sutton. She lived in the Kansas City area most of her life, moving to Harrisonville around 1980. She was married to Milton "Junior" Smith. Gertie dearly loved her family and rarely missed a family gathering. She loved flowers, birds and bright colors. She was a kind, gentle and generous person.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Junior, on April 10, 2007, two sons, Jimmy R. Downing and William M. Downing, and two brothers, Joe R. Sutton and Robert A. Sutton. She is survived by six sons, David L. Downing and his wife, Barbara of Billings, MT, Michael Downing of St. Joseph, MO, Jerry Downing of St. Joseph, MO, Wayne A. Downing and Debbie Cahill of Butler, MO, Darwin D. Downing of Harrisonville, MO and John Smith of Harrisonville, MO; three daughters, Anna M. Brigman and her husband, James of Spring, TX, Shirley J. Downing of Perry Florida, and Betty Grant and her husband Troy of Richland Hills, TX; One brother, Henry L. Sutton of Harrisonville, MO; two sisters, Josephine McCroy of Spring, TX and Rosie Williams of Harrisonville, MO; 9 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild; and numerous loving and faithful nephews, nieces, great-nephews and great-nieces, cousins and friends.