Meridith Anne (Smith) Flaig
Meridith Anne (Smith) Flaig passed away peacefully at St. John’s Lutheran Home in Springfield, Minnesota on August 28, 2024, at the age of 73.
Services for Meridith will be held on Monday, September 9 at the Springfield Community Center, Springfield, Minnesota. Visitation will start at 1:00 p.m. with a memorial service to follow at 2:00 p.m. Clergy will be Chaplain Noel Wetter. Interment will be held at St. Mathias Cemetery in Wanda, Minnesota. Arrangements are with the Sturm Funeral Home in Springfield, MN. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.
Meridith Anne (Smith) Flaig was born on October 26, 1950, to Kenneth and Verna (Penning) Smith at Rice Memorial Hospital, Willmar, Minnesota. She was baptized and confirmed at Calvary Lutheran Church, Murdock, Minnesota. Her Grandfather, Clay Smith, remarked at her birth, “she was no bigger than a bar of soap.”
Meridith grew up on a farm South of Murdock, attending Murdock Public School and graduated as Salutatorian of the Class of 1968. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, cum laude, with a minor in music from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota in 1972. She started her teaching career as a fourth-grade elementary school teacher in Sanborn, Minnesota in 1972. She continued to teach in the district, moving with consolidation to Jeffers which became part of Red Rock Central. She continued to share her love of learning with her students until her retirement in 2016.
Meridith was united in holy matrimony to Steve Flaig on June 18, 1983, at Kerkhoven Lutheran Church, Kerkhoven, Minnesota. They welcomed a son, Michael, in 1991. Meridith and Steve made their home in Lamberton, Minnesota until their move to Springfield, Minnesota in 2021.
Meridith enjoyed traveling across the country from the Boundary Waters camping with her brother Greg as guide, riding the train to Seattle, Washington with her family, and visiting Nashville, Tennessee with friends. She especially enjoyed traveling to some of the country’s most fascinating geographical areas with Michael and Steve, taking care to explore the local antiques and treasures along the way. Meridith was an avid reader and appreciated curling up with a good book. Furnishing and remodeling dollhouses became a passion for her.
Survivors include her husband, Steve Flaig of Springfield, Minnesota; son, Michael Flaig of Moorhead, MN; brothers Paul Clay Smith of Moorhead, MN, and Greg Smith of Murdock, MN; sister, Gabrielle Smith of Moorhead, MN and many nieces and nephews. Meridith was preceded in death by her parents.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Meridith’s life with a donation to Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.