Mama Gertie
Gertie Mae
(Unthank) Smith
July 10, 1943 – February 22, 2026
Alton, Illinois
“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”Proverbs 31:28
Mama Gertie
(Unthank) Smith
July 10, 1943 – February 22, 2026
Alton, Illinois
“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”Proverbs 31:28
Gertie Mae Unthank was born on July 10, 1943, in Alton, Illinois, on the bluffs above the Mississippi — the daughter of George Henry and Ola Myrtle (Lasseter) Unthank.
“She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn’t eat the bread of idleness.”Proverbs 31:27
For her working life she was a bookkeeper, and she retired as Head Bookkeeper of the Madison County Equal Opportunity Commission.
“She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.”Proverbs 31:18
For many years she was one of the region’s top Avon representatives.
“If Avon was calling in Alton, it was Mama Gertie.”
“She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.”Proverbs 31:20
For many years she was President and CEO of the Riverbend Food Pantry, and she gave tens of thousands of meals to her neighbors.
That is where the name came from.
“Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come.”Proverbs 31:25
She was a longtime member of Faith Fellowship Church in Godfrey.
On October 10, 1983, she married Jerry Carl Smith, who went before her on Easter Sunday, 2012. Her lifetime best friend was Myrna Wingate.
“Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works praise her in the gates!”Proverbs 31:31
In accordance with her wishes, she gave her body to Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine, so that future doctors could learn.
She fed her town. Then she gave even her body, so others could learn to heal.
Her memorial service
Friday, October 23, 2026
2:00 p.m. Central
Saint Francis Xavier College Church · St. Louis, Missouri
The medical students of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Class of 2030, hold an interfaith memorial service in memory of, and thanksgiving for, those who gave their bodies to the University’s Gift Body Program between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026 — Mama Gertie among them.
Light refreshments after the service · The invitation, word for word
“Her children rise up and call her blessed.”
Proverbs 31:28
Her family
Her sons, Carter Hill of Dallas and Christopher Unthank of Wood River
Her grandson, Asher Hill
Her step-children, Todd Smith, Tim Smith, Jeremy Smith and Sarah (Smith) Harris
Who went before her
Her husband, Jerry Carl Smith
Her father and mother, George Henry and Ola Myrtle (Lasseter) Unthank
Her brother, Henry Leroy Unthank
Her lifetime best friend, Myrna Wingate
Remembered with love
Mama Gertie
July 10, 1943 – February 22, 2026