Jeanne Louise Smith

Jeanne Louise Smith was born April 17, 1929, in Kansas City, Mo. She was an only child of Carrie Gatewood and was raised by an aunt; she never knew her father. She is survived by her husband of 36 years, Robert Smith; her children, Lois and Darrell Wenzek, of Freeland, Steve and Katy Hagar, of Denver, Colo., and Doug Hagar, of Fort Knox; she was preceded in death by a son, Lynn Smith. She is also survived by a number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She delighted in being referred to as “mom.” She was the kind of person who loved to be involved with the people around her and did not mind when they called her “mom.”

Mom was a picture of health for most of her life. She would comment about how she was going to live to be 100. She would sometimes even ask the doctors who cared for her if they thought she might make it that far; the answer was always, “A person in your health should have no problem.” The last few months of life were troubling for her; she had a fall that caused an infection in her leg, which needed to be treated. Shortly after that, she spent a couple nights in the hospital with congenital heart failure; a prescription seemed to restore her to a measure of health. Soon, she discovered a greater nemesis to her health, and within weeks of the discovery of pancreatic cancer, she succumbed to the cancer.

As a child, she moved to Whittier, Calif., where she met her future husband, Robert; ironically, they played together as children. They both proceeded in different directions, even though Jeanne worked at Whittier Citrus, an occupation she would eventually share with her husband in central California, where she would keep the books for the groves and pull irrigation lines, using a four wheeler. She graduated from Whittier High School and attended beauty college. After her training, she would work as a beautician and even taught beautician classes in Fresno. Most of her beautician career was spent at a place called “Cut and Curl,” in Visalia, Calif. She also had a small private studio from which she worked out of her home in Exeter, Calif.

In 1990, Jeanne and her husband, Bob, called an end to their labors in the grove. They moved to Coos Bay, Ore., in 1990. She enjoyed firing ceramics, collecting Indian art and boating with her husband. She became quite a fisherwoman. In 1997, they decided to move closer to their children on Whidbey Island, where they eventually built a house at Lagoon Point. While on Whidbey, Jeanne worked as a real estate agent for John L. Scott but mainly for Windermere. They greatly missed their many friends in Coos Bay and moved back in 1999. Once again, they took up fishing and traveling, including a number of cruises. Another great occupation was working with women’s groups in three different churches in Coos Bay. She not only prepared Bible study materials, but was intimately involved in the lives of many in her study groups. They too came to know her as “mom.”

The last three years of her life were spent back on Whidbey Island in order to be closer to her daughter. She lived at Mutiny Sands and the Double Bluff area briefly. While here, she became a member of the South Whidbey Community Church and spent time with family and friends.

The memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 2, at 5700 Double Bluff Road, Freeland.