Elnora was a very special lady with many talents. She was born July 17,1928 on the family farm in Dunnigan to James Edmund Smith and Mattie Wallace (Brooks) Smith. She was the middle child of three girls. Preceded in death by her eldest sister Wilmetta (Smith)Salisbury, she is survived by her younger sister Rhada (Smith) DeWayne, many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. A memory from her childhood that she always talked about was milking cows before she went to school. She attended grammar school in Meridian and graduated from high school at the age of 17 from Sutter High School.
She began her nursing career immediately after graduating high school working as a nurse’s aide at Colusa Community hospital. She started taking classes from Yuba College to earn her LVN degree which she did in 1947, being only the 29th person to receive this degree in the State of California.
During her early career she met Melvin LeRoy Spidell, he was a dispatcher for Pacific Gas & Electric Company. They were married in Carson City, Nevada at the Presbyterian Church on July 4, 1947. They enjoyed dancing and being part of the Methodist Church in Colusa. Singing in the church choir was close to Elnora’s heart. After her husbands passing Elnora traveled and saw many different areas of the world, her favorite being England and China.
The majority of Elnora’s career was spent at Colusa Community Hospital, where she advanced from a nurse’s aide to becoming a surgical nurse. She finished out her 50 year career with various private practices in the Colusa area after the community hospital was closed.
Elnora belonged to the Beta Sigma Phi and the Methodist Church for over 50 years, as well as being involved in the Eastern Star. In her downtime she enjoyed playing bridge with her many friends and reading any good book she could find. Her free time was always occupied with her cats.
Grave side services will be held at the Meridian cemetery on September 17, 2021 at 11 AM, followed by a luncheon at the Trinity United Methodist Church on 5th street in Colusa. In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Trinity United Methodist Church.
09/09/2021 • WPR #2021-1167