By Rebecca Goodman
Enquirer staff writer

MONTGOMERY - During World War I, Anne Thomson Smith's paternal grandfather was host to wounded veterans during Sunday dinners at his home at 5870 Belmont Ave. in College Hill.

Although she was only 3 years old in 1918, she did her part to support the American troops. A picture was taken of her - while wearing a tiny Red Cross uniform - giving a drink of water to a veteran named McGonegal, who had lost both his forearms in battle.

An artist named S. Stoltz painted a portrait of that picture. The portrait, in turn, was made into an American Red Cross poster for liberty bonds. That was the beginning of Mrs. Smith's 86-year relationship with the Red Cross. She spent her life supporting the Cincinnati chapter of the organization. At the end of World War II, she received a certificate of appreciation for driving Army personnel around the city and for performing other duties.

This June, the Red Cross bestowed upon Mrs. Smith its lifetime service award. Because she was in hospice care, she was unable to attend the ceremony.

Last Thanksgiving, she decided to end twice-monthly blood transfusions that were required to sustain her life. She had a condition in which her marrow quit producing red blood cells, but she fretted that the blood could be going to others who were more needy. And she didn't want to prolong the death process.

"She decided she was ready to go," said her daughter, Laura Carroll Smith Barrett of New Richmond.

Mrs. Smith died Thursday at her Montgomery residence. She was 89.

She was the granddaughter of Peter G. Thomson, founder of the Champion Paper company in Hamilton - at one time the largest paper manufacturer in the world. Her parents were Laura Carroll Simpson Lawwill and Peter G. Thomson Jr.

She was born in 1915 at Laurel Court - the College Hill mansion modeled after the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles, which was a gift of King Louis XVI to Marie Antoinette. Mrs. Smith's grandfather built Laurel Court in 1906 - at a reported cost of $1 million - and named it for his wife, Laura. Mrs. Smith lived there during her early childhood.

The Thomson family sold the palatial house to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in 1947. It was the home of two archbishops, John T. McNicholas and Karl J. Alter. In 1977, it was purchased by Cincinnati's pizza king, Buddy LaRosa. He sold it in 1991. It is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mrs. Smith attended Mrs. Lotspeich's outdoor school in Clifton and graduated in the fifth class of Hillsdale School for girls (today, the Seven Hills School) in 1932. Her mother was a founder of the school and her father a benefactor.

After high school, she married Richmond Witham "Bud" Smith. They lived in Virginia, where both attended university - she at Sweet Briar College. They settled in Cincinnati, where she took classes at the University of Cincinnati.

During the 1930s, Mr. Smith secretly took flying lessons. (He presumably declined to tell his wife because of the danger.) He became a licensed pilot and flying instructor. When she found out, she got her license, too, and together they operated a Cessna dealership in Cincinnati called Cincinnati Aircraft. They sold and serviced airplanes until the 1970s. Mr. Smith died in 1984.

Mrs. Smith's philanthropy was quiet but constant. She gave of her time and energy not only to the Red Cross, but also to the old General Hospital, the Convalescent Home for Children, Children's Hospital and the Seven Hills School. She also supported the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Christ Church Cathedral.

In addition to her daughter, Laura, survivors include: two sons, Michael Thomson Smith of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Pete W. Smith of Milford; a sister, Laura Gamble "Sunny" Robinson of Winter Park, Fla.; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 11 in the Centennial Chapel at Christ Church Cathedral at East Fourth and Sycamore streets, downtown. Interment will be at Spring Grove Cemetery Mausoleum.

Memorials: Fractured Atlas, c/o Laura Simpson, Attn: Lift Every Voice Program, 610 W. 164th St., No. 6, New York, NY 10032.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com