Ella Smith Michael, 88, passed away peacefully, 10 Dec 2013, in her residence at Belleair Country House, Clearwater, FL. Ella was born to Harvey Marts and Eva Barbara Marts on 14 July 1925, in Ocean City, NJ.
She was predeceased by her parents; 1st husband, Richard F. Smith; 2nd husband, Russell H. Michael; her sister Elizabeth Marts Thomas; brothers Harvey J. Marts and George A. Marts; and a daughter, Patricia A. Smith Williams. She’s survived by a brother, Edmund T. Marts (Cheryl), Baton Rouge, LA; daughter, Barbara J. Smith Williams (Benjamin), St. Petersburg, FL; son, George A. Smith (Kristen), Woodinville, WA; daughter, Elizabeth S. Michael Svedberg; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ella and her siblings were 1st generation US born citizens on her mothers side, as her maternal grandparents, mother and siblings immigrated to the USA from Yugoslavia, through Ellis Island, summer of 1914. Her father’s ancestor’s came to America as Hessian soldiers during the American Revolutionary War.
After graduating from Ocean City high school in 1942, Ella attended Jewish Hospital School of Nursing in Philadephia, PA. In 1943 congress passed the Bolton Act and the US Cadet Nurses Corps was established to deal with the nurse shortages. Ella joined the Corps after graduation in 1945 and was on board a hospital ship in the Pacific when Japan surrendered. She was decommissioned and returned to civilian life continuing to work as an OR nurse.
Ella moved to CA in 1955 and continued her nursing. Later she went back to college to earn her AA Degree at Palomar College in San Marcos, CA, and her BA and Masters Degree (MSSW) at San Diego State University by 1973 to become a Registered Vocational Counselor. She was licensed to practice in the states of CA and WA.
Since 1976 she had participated in The Nurses Health Study, conducted by Harvard Medical School.
In 1977 she moved to Sequim, WA where she continued to work as a Vocational Counselor.
After retiring in 1991, she moved to Portales, NM. Her love for genealogy research became her passion and she worked as a volunteer at the History Life Center in Clovis, NM. She received a certificate of appreciation from HLC for her 10 years of dedication and driving over 85,000 miles to volunteer her service’s.
Ella moved to St. Petersburg in 2005. With constant care from her daughter Barbara and grand daughter Janet, she was able to reside at The Fountains in Pasadena, FL. For the past two years we are eternally thankful to the Belleair Country House ALF, for their continued loving care and support.
There will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers and cards, the family requests a donation in her memory to the Suncoast Hospice, who were a great help to Ella and her family.
