Martha Sue Smith

Martha Sue Smith, 84, of Louisiana, MO, passed away on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Martha Sue was a beloved wife, a dedicated mother and grandmother, a consummate broadcast professional, a trusted friend and a tireless community booster who touched innumerable lives with her knowledge, passion, cordiality, grace and humor, A trendsetter from the start, Martha Sue was born on March 17, 1940, in Louisiana, a daughter of John and Sue Haley Zook. As a teenager, she worked at Zook’s Nook, one of several successful businesses started by her father. Martha Sue was an enthusiastic and avid cheerleader, and served as the first female student body president at Louisiana High School, where she graduated in 1957. She was drawn to performing, something that was handed down from her mother. There was a particular memory of a skit at Clopton High School. “Mother was asked to do an assembly,” Martha Sue recalled. “She had me with her doing the program, too. Here I am, old enough that I should be embarrassed to death, and kind of was, doing this in front of a school.” At a time when just about all of her colleagues were male, she earned an associate’s degree in radio and television broadcasting from Monticello College in Godfrey, Ill. On Feb. 5, 1960, Martha Sue married Richard A. Smith. They had met during one of her earlier school assembly performances, and would share an earnest, enduring love for each other until his passing on April 6, 2000. “He was kind, thoughtful and caring,” Martha Sue remembers. The couple raised two sons, Todd and Allen, in Burlington, Iowa, where he worked for an agricultural chemical company, but always kept close ties to Louisiana. After leaving Burlington, Richard went to the University of Missouri School of Law and Martha Sue worked in the dean’s office at the College of Agriculture. Following graduation, the couple returned to Louisiana and Richard practiced law, with Martha Sue as his secretary. As the business grew, they hired Debbie Tophinke, who became a close family friend. The affection for Louisiana was, perhaps, equaled only by a passion for radio. Untold numbers of people heard her once a week on KJFM of Louisiana-Bowling Green. The program was so popular that she expanded to five days a week, and was at the station for 13 years. She later took her microphone to WBBA in Pittsfield, Ill., for seven years. Audiences could count on a voice that was informative and reassuring. Her “Twin Pikes Report” was a must-listen. Radio suited Martha Sue just fine. Those tuning in could count on a voice that was informative and reassuring. “I think it’s the drama in me,” she once said. “I love entertaining, but I’m too self-conscious for TV.” Martha Sue rarely slowed down. She was a member at one time or the other of just about every social and civic organization in Louisiana. PEO was especially dear to her heart, and she was an active member for 60 years. Martha Sue was a founder of the Louisiana Area Historical Museum, and served as its first president, a position she held for 25 years. She fondly recalled how one codicil in the facility’s by-laws was not followed. “When my first two years were up and our by-laws stated that my term limit had arrived, the board changed those by-laws and convinced me to stay,” she said. “Really, no one wanted the job – things were so new to all of us. I tried over the years to pass the gavel, but to no avail.” Martha Sue and Betty Allen co-authored “Louisiana,” a book filled with photos and information about people, businesses, churches, organizations and other aspects of the city’s history. She also wrote a book about her cats, Sid and Mr. Zook. Survivors include her sons, Todd (Candie) of Louisiana and Allen (Stephanie) of Town and Country: and three grandchildren, Taylor, of Denver, Austin of St. Louis and Alexa (Dustin) of New York City. Visitation will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, March 10, at the Collier Funeral Home in Louisiana. A private family graveside service will follow at Stark Cemetery near Calumet. Memorials may be made to the Louisiana Area Historical Museum. Online condolences can be made at collierfuneral.com. Martha Sue would have appreciated the last word, so it’s fitting to let her sign-off be about her irrepressible fondness for Louisiana. “I just didn’t realize then, but I do now, how amazing our Louisiana is. I look around today and realize that many of these people, places, things, businesses, parks, historic homes, landmarks and on and on I took for granted because that was how it was. So many of those things are still here and are a part of life in Louisiana.”

Martha Sue Smith

March 17, 1940 - March 4, 2025