Hester A. Smith, 89, of Franklin, passed away at 5:55 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4th at The Caring Place in Franklin.

Born April 13, 1927 in Pittsburgh, Hester was the second daughter of the late Henry C. and Augusta A. Moellinger Warrington.

She was raised in Providence, Maryland along with her four brothers and sisters: Patricia Feltenberger, Henry Warrington, June Mawhinney and Fred Warrington.

Her mother, Augusta, was from Germany and immigrated as a child to the United States through the port of New York.

Her father, Henry, grew up in Maryland. Eventually, the family settled in the Polk area and Hester’s parents went to work at Polk Center. During WWII, Hester and her sister, Pat, rode a bus from Polk to Geneva to work in a dynamite factory.

One day Hester and June were sitting on the front porch of the family home in downtown Polk when Dale Smith and his friend walked by and talked to the girls.

The rest is history. Hester and Dale married on July 3, 1948, and lived in a house by Dale’s parents in Uniontown Heights in Franklin. After 43 years of marriage, Dale preceded her in death on December 26, 1991.

Hester retired from Miller Equipment (now Honeywell) where she worked for over 20 years sewing safety equipment.

She was a member of the Polk Presbyterian Church.

She was an avid bowler for many years at both the Franklin and Seneca Bowling Lanes.

She enjoyed “Curves” and the “Silver Sneakers” Program at the YMCA. On Monday evenings she was a card shark with her card club group.

Hester loved to bake and was known for cooking Sunday dinners for her large family.

She made afghans for all of her grandchildren to enjoy and always made cookies for them when they were home. Her family was very proud to call her “Mom” and “Gram” — she was a blessing to all who knew her!

Hester is survived by her two sons, Eugene D. Smith and his wife, Leslie, of Franklin; and Samuel J. Smith and his wife, Babs, of Lancaster; and her daughter, Brenda K. Doyle and her husband, Timothy, of Clarks Mills.

She was also “Gram” to her seven grandchildren: Timothy Doyle, Jr. and his wife, Nicole, of Gansevoort, NY; Heather Heckathorn and her husband, Todd, of Ivyland, PA; Allison Mirage and her husband, Andrew, of Cochranton; Jason Smith and his husband, Christopher Morris, of San Jose, CA; Jessica Smith of Pittsburgh; Ryan Smith of Lancaster; and Samantha Smith of Lancaster; and her four great-grandchildren, Jack and Andrew Doyle of Gansevoort, NY; and Cole and Luke Heckathorn of Ivyland, PA.

Additionally, Mrs. Smith is survived by her two brothers, Henry B. Warrington and his wife, Rose, of Cooperstown; and Fred M. Warrington and his wife, Peg, of Franklin; and her two sisters, Patricia A. Feltenberger of Polk; and June Mawhinney of Franklin.

Family and friends will be received at the Gardinier Funeral Home, Inc., 1315 Chestnut Street, Franklin on Friday, April 7th from 3 to 7 p.m.

Funeral services for Mrs. Smith will be held at the Funeral Home on Saturday, April 8th at 11 a.m. with Rev. Diane Whitman, pastor of the Cooperstown Presbyterian Church, officiating.

Interment will be in Old Sandy Cemetery.

The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the charity of one’s choice and/or the Polk Presbyterian Church.

To send flowers, cards, or online condolences, loved ones are invited to visit www.gardinierfuneralhome.com.