1931 ~ Sept. 2, 2022
Marjorie Smith, 91, of The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and recently of Salida, Colorado, died Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, while under the care of UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center after a short illness. Born in 1931 in Richmond, Virginia, she was the daughter of Marjorie Herrick and Charles Bradbury. She was an adventurer at heart, likely inspired by her parents. Her mother recorded her travels as a child, from Bolivia at 3 months (1931), to California (1933), Mexico, Panama, Socorro, Richmond, Bolivia (Fall 1933), Richmond (July 1934), Bolivia (January 1935), returned to U.S. (June 1936), moved to Socorro (Summer 1939), moved to Albuquerque (1940).
She graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1948 and from the University of Denver in 1954 with a BSN in nursing. She met Robert L. Smith (Bob) at the University of Colorado — Boulder, and they were married in 1953. She did part time nursing work while raising their four children: Jim, Corinne (Lolly), Paul and Rob, until 1980 when she went to work full time in Bob’s general medical practice in La Junta, Colorado. She also worked as an intensive care nurse in La Junta, Pueblo and Salida, Colorado.
She loved music. Lolly loved listening to her playing Beethoven, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky on the piano at night in bed. The junior choir she volunteered to tackle at St Timothy’s Church in Rangely was one of Lolly’s happiest memories from her childhood church, and Marje organized an exchange with an Episcopal Church called Whiterock Church on the Ute Reservation in nearby Utah.
She loved travelling, bridge, hiking, camping and organizing family gatherings and reunions. She was very devoted to her PEO sisters and to the Episcopal church. She is survived by her sister Nancy Morgan of Ocala, Florida; her sister in-law Mary Beth Smith of Denver, Colorado; her sons James B. Smith of Ft. Morgan, Colorado, Paul H. Smith of Placitas, New Mexico, Robert F. Smith of Boise, Idaho, and her daughter Corinne S. Radakovich of Ft. Peck, Montana; and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years Robert L. Smith, by her brother William Bradbury, by her sister Emily Jones, by her sister-in-law Betty Bradbury, and brothers-in-law Walt Clark, Burt Smith and Tom Morgan.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 in the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 349 E St, Salida, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made in her memory to Health 4 Haiti, PEO Scholarships, National Federation of the Blind, or the Episcopal Church of the Ascension.
