Christina 'Tina' Smrcka

Christina Rose (Woods) Smrcka passed away November 12, 2016 at age 92 at the Glacier Care Center.

Christina “Tina”was born on December 20, 1923 on the homestead farm.  Both parents were from England.  Her mother came over with her four children although was widowed shortly after settling in Alberta.  She later married John, who was a decorated WWI veteran.  They lived about one mile north of the Del Bonita Alberta border. Tina joined an older sister, Irene “Dolly”, two half-sisters and two half-brothers on the family farm.

As a young girl Tina rode horse back to school about five miles. Once, her and Dolly were stranded on their way home in a blizzard and had to stay overnight in a neighbors barn until the next day when their father came to rescue them.

While young girls, Tina and Dolly learned to play piano by ear.  They would play at dances with their father, who was a good musician, on the piano and banjo.  Tina could still play some songs by ear at the age of 92.

When playing music for dances in Del Bonita, Tina met Bob Smrcka and they married on December 27, 1941.  Working on a farm in the Del Bonita area on the U.S. side, Tina would cook for the large farm crews baking bread daily.

In 1943 Bob and Tina were given the opportunity to buy a farm and ranch in the Del Bonita area, having to work hard to make a living off the land.  From their marriage 3 children were born: Jim, Bill and Linda.  Tina would joke that she had 3 children in 12 days; all were born in April, on the 1st, 6th and 12th.

Tina would sew clothes for her children from brightly colored flour sacks and was an excellent cook and homemaker.  She baked lots of pies, cookies and treats.  The freezer was always stocked - unless Bob and the kids had eaten them and left empty containers, which did not make her very happy.

Her cooking was well known by local salesmen and being 46 miles out of town they often found themselves at Tina's table around mealtime.  Once a salesman even found them out harvesting in the field and was served spaghetti off the kettle lid with a huge serving fork - he didn't seem to mind.

Tina was a member of WIFE (Women Involved in Farm Economics) and also ran the Red Cross blood drive in Cut Bank for about 8 years.

Tina loved flowers, birds, fishing on the Milk River and the view of the Rocky Mountains out the windows of their farm house.  Tina's lack of filter certainly made for some interesting conversations throughout her lifetime.

Tina is preceded in death by her 2 half-sisters, 2 half-brothers, her sister, Dolly, her husband, Bob, who died in 1993 and her son, Bill, who died in 2010.

Tina is survived by her son, Jim Smrcka (Betty), Mandan, ND, daughter, Linda Halvorson (Bill, her favorite son-in-law) Cut Bank, daughter-in-law, Irma Smrcka, Cut Bank, and Mary Smrcka, Custer, SD; as well as 7 granddaughters, 1 favorite grandson and 7 great grandchildren.

A remembrance gathering will be held on December 20th, 2016 from 1pm to 5 pm at her daughter’s home at 418 9th Ave SE, Cut Bank.