Lucy Evans August saved Richard C. Glover from drowning, Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin, August 14, 1932. Richard, 14, schoolboy, and Lucy, 8, schoolgirl, slid down a chute on a sled and drifted in Lake Nebagamon to a point 97 feet from the shore. Richard slipped from the sled and was submerged in water seven feet deep. He rose and again was sinking as he threshed. Lucy, who was lighter than he, swam four feet toward him and dived, groping for him. Richard grasped Lucy around the neck face to face, and Lucy swam to the surface. Towing Richard, whose position prevented her from using her left arm, Lucy swam six feet toward shore. As she swam, both were momentarily submerged by Richard’s weight. A woman then swam to Lucy and pulled her and Richard to wadable water.
32411-2728Obituary
Lucy Smith, 101, passed away peacefully Sept. 3, 2025, at the close of her 100th summer at her cabin on the shore of Lake Nebagamon.
Lucy Evans August was born May 21, 1924, in Superior, WI. With her parents, Lucy and David August, and brother, Jack, Lucy lived her childhood years in Central Park, Superior, and at the family cabin at Lake Nebagamon.
During her full life, Lucy loved being outdoors and in nature. She received a Carnegie Medal at eight years of age, being credited with saving the life of a fourteen year old boy from drowning at the Lake Nebagamon public beach. In 1943, during World War II, Lucy married Ted Smith. Lucy and Ted met in the summer of their seventh-grade year of school. Ted, whose family had a cabin on the other side of the lake, would often cross the lake in his boat for an evening visit while Lucy would listen for the sound of his motor. They spent many sunsets together on a shore-mounted bench until Lucy’s mom would call her in for the night. Those summer evenings staged the beginning of a long-lasting relationship.
With their five children, Ted and Lucy made their home in Superior’s Central Park and spent summers at their cabin at Lake Nebagamon. In the second part of their lives after Lucy and Ted moved away from Superior, they traveled from their homes in Fort Collins, CO, and Hot Springs Village, AR, back to Lake Nebagamon to spend several months each year at the place they cherished. After Ted died, Lucy lived in Cincinnati, OH, and Little Rock, AR, but made it back to her favorite place at Lake Nebagamon each summer.
Lucy was looked upon by family and acquaintances as an optimist and true friend. She found the best in any situation and was a model for many. Lucy loved each family member and always delivered warm hugs, smiles and cookies.
Lucy was preceded in death by her parents and brother, husband Ted in 2012, son David in 2016, and daughter Carolyn Hudson in 2021.
Survivors include her children; Ted Smith (Diane) – Lake Nebagamon, WI; Vic Smith (Phyllis) – Ft Collins, CO; Patricia Daily (Doug) – Little Rock, AR; son-in-law Hal Hudson – Albuquerque, NM; daughter-in-law Linda Smith – Superior, WI.
Thirteen grandchildren: Zach Smith (Mila), Andy Hudson (Amy), Nathan Hudson (Jessika), Erin Hudson Schalk (Louis), Dena Bohiem (RC), Eric Smith (Deana), Nick Smith (Christina), Andy Smith (Diana), Jaime Smith, Ben Smith (Jessica), Josh Daily (Lauren), Daniel Daily (Callae), and Laura Bates (Alex).
32 great-grandchildren: Jack and Ally Hudson; Reed and Arren Hudson; Max and Lucy Schalk; Mia, Natalie and Gianna Boheim; Kellen and Brynn Smith; Emelia, Oliver and Stella Smith; Anthony, Lucy, Ellie and Isabella Smith; Leonora, Avery and Anika Smith-Sanny; Landon and Bode Smith; Will, Caleb, Abby and Ellie Daily; Benson, Bishop, Arden and Maryn Daily; Clarke Bates, and one more expected soon.