Kayla Smith

Kayla Smith, age 24, of Kirksville, formerly of Brookfield, died Friday, September 23, 2011, at University Hospital in Columbia. Kayla Paige, daughter of David and Lori (Staehle) Melte, was born May 20, 1987, in Marceline. On June 14, 2007, she married James Smith. Survivors include her husband, James Smith and two children, Kira Nicole Smith and Zander James Smith, all of the home; her mother and step-father, Lori Melte and Alan McCracken of Brookfield; her father, David Melte of Fulton; one brother, Kevin LaVier and Cindy Bell of Kirksville; two sisters, Kelsi Melte and Jesse Anderson of Brookfield, and Sheanea Melte of Fulton; her grandmother, Lois Staehle of California; her husband's parents, Wayne and Zoe Smith of Chillicothe; her husband's grandmother, Pearl Hager of Jamesport; three step-brothers, two step-sisters, and two brothers-in-law; and several nieces, nephews, and other relatives. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Savannah Jo Smith; her grandfather, Henry Staehle; and grandparents, Morris and Elizabeth Melte. A funeral service will be Wednesday, September 28, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. at Wright-Baker-Hill Funeral Home, Brookfield. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Brookfield. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m. Tuesday and the family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 in the evening. Memorials to the family may be left at or mailed to Wright-Baker-Hill Funeral Home, P.O. Box 496, Brookfield, MO 64628.