Grace Loader Smith, age 85, died on Monday February 24, 2025, at LECOM Health Nursing and Rehabilitation. She was born in Erie on May 15, 1939, the daughter of the late Wilfred M. Loader and Mary Alyce Hart Loader.
Grace attended school in Lawrence Park then Springfield, PA, later attending Clown College of America for 2 years, and becoming a professor there for 5 years.
During her life Grace held interesting and varied employment; working on a farm for five years; spending seventeen years as a full time Mother to her children; a cashier and lottery at Al DeLuca’s of Erie; and a waitress and bartender at the Erie Club for twenty years.
A Christian believer, Grace served the Lord and loved all, serving many through Clowning as “Panzy” in the Erie Clowns. Her hobbies included art, painting & drawing, and photography, winning many small-town blue ribbons. She once bowled a perfect 300 game and had a 179 average. She loved gardening and canning, baking and sewing, baton twirling and cheerleading. Grace also loved to dance. Serving as a paramedic, she was forever helping all in need and saved many lives through intervention.
Grace is survived by 4 sisters; Vicki Adams and her husband Don, Midge Ginader, Sylvia Moshier, and Loreli Gavroy and her husband Steve; a brother Skip Loader and his wife Pat. She is also survived by 2 sons, Jeffrey Smith and his wife Lisa Hill of Pflugerville, TX, and Deri Smith and his wife Becky of Attleboro, MA: 2 daughters, Joi Van Slyke and her husband Robert of Albion, PA, and Deb Robson and her husband Rick of Conneaut, OH. She is further survived by 5 grandchildren; Charity, Christy, Samantha, Jennifer, and Bryan; and 16 great-grandchildren, Aaron, Chloe, Chaz, Ethan, Judah, Fynn, Trent, Bryce, Benjamin, Levi, Becca, Sullivan, Liam, Lennox, Oliver and Brayden.
In addition to her parents, Grace was preceded in death by sisters, Cynthia Anne Loader Boothby and Mary Rita Donofrio, a Grandmother Alice Morris Hart, many Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and friends.
Services were private at the request of Grace. Send condolences at www.BurtonQuinnScott.com.
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