Christine Smith

Christine Ann "Chris" (Gorres) Smith, age 51, of rural Atwater, died Sunday evening, August 14, at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud following a courageous fight against cancer.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 19, at the Church of St. Mary in Willmar. Interment will be at Tripolis Lutheran Cemetery near Kandiyohi. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, August 18, at Peterson Brothers Funeral Home in Willmar and will continue for one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are encouraged to the family. (www.petersonbrothers.com)
Christine Ann was born on November 29, 1964 at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar to Richard and Charlotte (Strate) Gorres. She attended Lincoln Elementary School and graduated from Willmar Senior High School in 1983. She attended Willmar Vo-Tech and graduated from a 1-year business program. She attended Sunday School and received her First Holy Communion and Confirmation at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Willmar.
Growing up, Chris enjoyed going on camping and snowmobiling trips with her family. Every summer ended with the annual trip tubing down the Apple River. Chris enjoyed spending holidays with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and many cousins in Murdock and Sleepy Eye. Chris worked a couple of part time jobs in high school including the Champlin Gas Station and Cafe where she met her future husband. Randy worked as a mechanic when Chris was waitressing. Chris was united in marriage to Randy Lee Smith on June 14, 1985 at Tripolis Lutheran Church near Kandiyohi. This union was blessed with two sons - Tyler Lee in 1988 and Jesse Lee in 1990.
Chris enjoyed motorcycling and spending time with family and friends especially her grandkids. Her grandkids will remember spending time with "Mema" camping and four-wheeling in the pasture. Chris also enjoyed everything that came with farm life including gardening, canning, cooking, baking, and hanging clothes outside on the line to dry. She will be remembered for her plastic needlepoint crafts, sewing, trying new recipes, and competitive games of UNO.
Chris worked as a bookkeeper and credit manager for Welder's Supply/Matheson Tri-Gas for the last 30+ years. She considered her co-workers her second family.
Chris is survived by her husband, Randy of Atwater; son, Tyler (and Katie) Smith, granddaughters, Autumn, Payton, and Paislee of Willmar; son, Jesse (and Michelle) Smith, grandson, Axel of Cosmos; grandmother, Joyce Gorres of Willmar; her parents, Richard and Charlotte Gorres of Willmar; four siblings, Cathy (and Tom) Dahl of Kerkhoven, Robert Gorres of Cosmos, Paul Gorres of Willmar and Carol (and Eric) Tollefson of Sunburg; her mother-in-law Norma Smith of Willmar; and brother-in-law, Rob (and Vickie) Smith of Willmar; besides several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Clifford Gorres, Ray and Viola Strate, and father-in-law, Robert Smith.

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