Kay Marie Smith

Kay Marie Smith was born on June 6, 1936, in the Salt Lake General Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah to Max Clarence Smith, November 14, 1912, Spanish Fork, Utah and O’rilla Olive Büehler, May 2, 1907, Midway, Utah. Marie passed at 88 years of age from a malignant glioblastoma (brain tumor) similar to her paternal grandmother. Marie was the oldest of three biological siblings, including Max John (Jack) Smith, 86, and Annette O’rilla Smith Domm, June 2, 1941-Feb 16, 2010, and one half sibling, Susan Lynn Smith, who died at age 11 from bone cancer. As a child, she remembered going to Liberty Park to ride the Merry-Go-Round and having a close relationship to her sister, Annette, with whom she shared a bedroom. She lived in the Sugarhouse area in Salt Lake City and remembered on her 7th birthday, June 6, 1944, that “I heard lots of noise, and I thought everyone was celebrating my birthday. Actually, everyone was celebrating the invasion of Normandy (WWII).”

Of course, Marie also carried with her the tragic memory of her mother’s death when she was only seven years old. O’rilla was 34 years old and died from a brain bleed after a fall down the stairs in their home. Marie said, “I do remember being in charge of everything. I was told, “You are the oldest, you set the pattern for your siblings.” It was not a lot of fun as a child. That is one reason why I wanted to provide fun times for my children.” Marie said that she did all the chores including sweep the floor, do the dishes, clean up, etc. “Every day I was expected to peel potatoes and have them ready in the pan on the stove by 4:30 PM when dad came home. Max, Marie’s father, remarried Florence Price, 1908-1996.

Marie attended Hawthorne Elementary, followed by William Stewart Junior High on the University of Utah campus, and then East High School. She attended the University of Utah for two years, followed by three years in the nursing program at St. Mark’s Hospital. During her schooling years, she loved to hang out at the Snelgrove Ice Cream Shop in Sugarhouse.

Marie’s dream was to be a concert violinist. The spring of her sophomore year she auditioned for the Utah Symphony and was not accepted. She recalls that later that spring she had a mandatory recital as part of her coursework. One had to play a memorized piece, and she had one that she knew well. However, due to a case of stage fright, she did not perform well and received a poor review in the Utah Chronicle. A friend of hers told her about an opportunity to interview for a nursing career at St. Mark’s. The interview went superb, and she was granted a nursing school position. Her nursing career, a degree from Westminster College, lasted until she was 83 years old, with a few decades’ pause dedicated to raising her children.

Marie had seen Dennis in the halls at East High School. She noticed him as a “very tall guy, with a briefcase, headed to the Physics Lab”. They met at Lambda Delta Sigma at the University of Utah, a church social group at the university. The theme of the event was “The Jungle,” and he was elected “King of the Beasts.” He was a senior leaving to go on a mission, but was delayed because of the Korean War. He was not drafted because he was too tall, 6’8’. He asked for Marie’s phone number, and they exchanged some letters throughout the mission. After he came home, he called the family and her dad took a message and handed her a small note saying that Dennis Smith called to see if she was still around. Later, in June 1957, he came by the house and had a diamond ring in his pocket. He asked her to come out to the car, and he then asked her to marry him in the Salt Lake temple. This they did on January 9th, 1959, surrounded by about 15 people of the immediate family.

The next several decades include but were not limited to raising five children, changing 45k-75k diapers, attending approximately 962 combined sporting and musical events, teaching seminary for 20+ years, leading multiple young women's church camps (a fulfillment of her patriarchal blessing) and constantly serving her neighbors. Marie was known throughout any neighborhood in which she lived, on both the east and west coast, as the kind nurse down the road who was available for any and all emergencies. Even the local paramedics knew her name.

She was a true gospel scholar often called “Grandma Moses” by her seminary class student’s. She became a scholar in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, especially in the topics of church history, Joseph Smith, and Jesus Christ. Other hobbies included journaling, storytelling, playing the violin, crocheting, quilting, playing the guitar, painting rocks or old wood. Her favorite gift to give was a Book of Mormon highlighted by her based on all things she had learned through the years of her own personal study.

When recently asked what advice she would give her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, it was to “Love the Lord with all your heart! [and] that if you shoot a free throw (in basketball) and it doesn’t go in, get the rebound and shoot it again and make it.” Sound advice from an expert in resilience who overcame many trials and more often than not, rose to the needs placed before her.

She leaves behind her loving family: husband, Clark Dennis Smith of Orem, UT; son, Clark Dennis Smith, Jr. of Alpine, UT; daughter, Shauna Marie Burt (Brandon) of Alpine, UT; son, Michael John Smith (Debbie) of Alpine, UT; son, Mark Edward Smith (Tami) of Chesapeake Bay, Virginia; son, Steven Alan Smith (Julia) of Meridian, ID, 29 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren and brother Max John Smith (Joan) of Salt Lake City, UT.

The funeral will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, May 20th, at the Church of Jesus Christ chapel located at 155 West 1600 South, Orem, UT, 84058. There will be a viewing at 9:00 am, followed by the service and then the family luncheon at 12:30 pm, all at the same location. Interment will take place at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, 3401 S Highland Dr., Millcreek, UT, 84106 in Salt Lake City at 3:00 pm. Luncheon is reserved for the family.

Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page.