Jean Smith

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Our loving Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother Jean returned to her Father in Heaven on September 21, 2016.  Jean was both a beloved member of her family and her community and our loss will be felt by many.  Jean was born in Montreal, Canada on October 13, 1927 to Charles Horowitz and Clara Schwartz.

Jean's parents died while she was very young.  She lived her early years with her older sisters in Montreal, Canada.  Jean was baptized a member of the LDS church on July 9, 1950.  Soon after her baptism she moved to the Utah and lived with the Dodd Hyer family and John Orme family.  Served an LDS mission in France in 1952 to 1954.  Upon returning to Idaho Falls, Idaho she met her husband Clifford Wayne Smith and they were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple on June 2, 1954.  She became a naturalized citizen of the United States on April 25, 1958.

Jean was a very devoted mother, wonderful cook, immaculate housekeeper and an accomplished artist.  She was involved in church and community service.  She served as a Missionary at the LDS Conference Center for many years and also worked in the Bountiful Temple.  During her life with Wayne they lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Pocatello, Idaho, Magna Utah, Lamar, Colorado, Logan, Utah and Centerville, Utah.

Wayne and Jean have four children: Clifford Shane (Elizabeth), Charles Peyton (Wendy), James Carr (Koralie) and Camille (Craig) Bagley.  She has 16 grandchildren, and 26 great grandchildren.   She was preceded in death by her son James Carr Smith and two of her sister Ruth Titlebaum and Micki Nyman.  She is survived by her sister Bea Singer.

The family wants to express its sincere appreciation to the loving and caring staff at Sagewood and Hospice OneCare for the kind way they took care of our Mother and Wife during her last days.

Funeral services will be held Monday September 26, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. at Porter Lane 3rd Ward Chapel, 435 West 400 South Centerville, Utah.  Visitation Sunday evening from 6:00-7:30pm and Monday morning at the Church 10:30-11:30 am.  Interment will take place at the Kaysville City Cemetery.

“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and thinkers, but most of all surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.”
-Edmund Lee

The paradox of Sylvia Jean Smith lays in her strong will mixed with a dash of brashness, a sprinkle of brilliance and a handful of belly laughs. This recipe, combined with her love of family, made her a powerful force for good in the lives of many, especially for her children and grandchildren.

Our character is shaped through the challenges and tough experiences that life hands us. Losing both parents early on in life sets the stage for one to crumble, or arise from the ashes. Jean chose to begin molding a life that would be a success story when all odds seemed to be stacked against her.

Reflecting on Jean’s life, there are many very specific things we will always remember. Here are three important ones:

It’s not over till you give your absolute best, then a little more. When her son, Peyton, was diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer, the doctors told her there was nothing else they could do. From her experience, she knew that there was always something more to do. She informed the doctors that they were to open him back up and fix the problem.

It’s likely that in the back of the each doctor’s mind was the thought that, “This lady is crazy.”

They opened him back up, and as you’d expect, her son lived.

It’s ok for people to tell you no, but it’s equally as ok for you to not take that as a finality.

Beauty is everywhere; it’s up to you to find it. Jean was an accomplished artist. With each brush stroke, a unique masterpiece would begin to form. She would find the beauty in nature, a boat in a storm, flowers, really anything you could think of.  Her home, and our lives were full of her art, her vision, and her appreciation for beauty.

If you don’t stop and look around and appreciate the surrounds around us, you’ll miss the beauty of life.

Family, love them to the fullest extent. There are various definitions of the word love. All of us assume to know love’s true meaning. Jean wore her heart on her sleeve. She always encouraged her family to get things done, do it right, put in 100% effort, and do something all the way or not at all.

She was actively engaged in the personal lives of her children and grandchildren, always trying to bring out their best because she wanted us to reach our full potential. She believed in us when we didn’t believe in ourselves. There was never a day that went by that her children and grandchildren didn’t know with 100% certainty of her love for them.

My grandma set out to win the lottery. She was just as certain that she would win the lottery as she was that the sun would come up the next morning. The beauty of this is that as she rests in paradise she is likely laughing with her son, Carr, telling him that not only did she win the lottery she won it over and over again with each member of her family.

Slyvia Jean Smith, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, friend, together we jointly say, “thank you.”

Thank you for showing us that in a world of people that try desperately to fit in, we need to stand out. Thank you for being crazy enough to believe in each of us and show us it’s ok to be different. Thank you for having the courage to pick yourself up from the ashes of failure and start a new life that so many of us have benefitted from.

Without you, none of us will be here.

You’re the best of the best.

You changed our lives.

You saved our lives.

We miss you dearly.

Together we say, “Job well done  in this life. You’ve done your part. Now it’s time for you to rest peacefully in paradise. We hope as you look down from above you can continue to be proud of each and every one of us.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We love you.