Ilene Smith

Ilene Rose Smith

June 3, 1951 – July 28, 2026

Ilene Rose Smith was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 3, 1951, and spent the next seventy-five years going out to meet the world. She lived on the West Coast and the East Coast, in the middle of the country, and among the Rockies, and she never lost her appetite for seeing a place as it truly was. She had an artist’s hands, finding quiet contentment in drawing and coloring, and she brought that same care to the people and animals in her life. She loved deeply those who loved her, and proved it in the way that matters most — by showing up. Her life held its share of good times and hard ones, of struggle and hard-won growth, but when it counted, she learned that love was at the center of meaning.

After facing lung cancer for 450 days with perseverance and determination that humbled those who witnessed it, Ilene passed away peacefully at 5:56 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, surrounded by those who loved her, golden retrievers nestled close against her. Her family is forever grateful — for her strength and her company. May she rest in peace.

https://my.gather.app/remember/ilene-smith-2026