1937
Gay
2017
Gay Smith
November 15, 1937 — April 28, 2017
Gay Smith was born on November 15, 1937, Glasgow, Montana. Born a twin to Evelyn Johns Woodruff and Seth Ritch Woodruff.
The family spent 2 years in the Panama Canal Zone where her father was an engineer on the locks.
School years were spent in Mississippi, Omaha and Las Vegas where she was the top of her senior class in high school.
She continued her education at CU Boulder where she was elected to Phi Bea Kappa her junior year. She was also in the sorority The Omega.
She married her college sweetheart Duane A. Smith on August 20th, 1960 and helped to put him through his doctorate program at C.U. After his graduation they moved to Durango where Duane took a job as a history professor at Fort Lewis College.
The couples daughter, Laralee was born in 1968. They have been active members of First United Methodist Church since 1964, involved in choir and junior choir. Gay also helped to edit Duane’s many books.
Her life changed somewhat in October of 1994 when she suffered two brain aneurisms. While this changed her quality of life, she remained at home in the loving care of her husband, two dogs and several cats.
She passed peacefully in her sleep sometime in the early morning of April 28, 2017 in the home that she loved.
She is survived by her husband Duane of Durango, her twin sister Kay Eberl of Loveland, CO., her daughter Laralee, son-in-law Michael and nephew Don Eberl of Loveland and Linda Waters of Tulsa, OK.
Services will be held Friday, May 5, 2017 at 10am at the First United Methodist Church, 2917 Aspen Drive. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the First United Methodist Church of Durango or La Plata County Humane Society.
The family spent 2 years in the Panama Canal Zone where her father was an engineer on the locks.
School years were spent in Mississippi, Omaha and Las Vegas where she was the top of her senior class in high school.
She continued her education at CU Boulder where she was elected to Phi Bea Kappa her junior year. She was also in the sorority The Omega.
She married her college sweetheart Duane A. Smith on August 20th, 1960 and helped to put him through his doctorate program at C.U. After his graduation they moved to Durango where Duane took a job as a history professor at Fort Lewis College.
The couples daughter, Laralee was born in 1968. They have been active members of First United Methodist Church since 1964, involved in choir and junior choir. Gay also helped to edit Duane’s many books.
Her life changed somewhat in October of 1994 when she suffered two brain aneurisms. While this changed her quality of life, she remained at home in the loving care of her husband, two dogs and several cats.
She passed peacefully in her sleep sometime in the early morning of April 28, 2017 in the home that she loved.
She is survived by her husband Duane of Durango, her twin sister Kay Eberl of Loveland, CO., her daughter Laralee, son-in-law Michael and nephew Don Eberl of Loveland and Linda Waters of Tulsa, OK.
Services will be held Friday, May 5, 2017 at 10am at the First United Methodist Church, 2917 Aspen Drive. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the First United Methodist Church of Durango or La Plata County Humane Society.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Gay Smith, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
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Friday, May 5, 2017
Starts at 10:00 am (Mountain time)
First United Methodist Church
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