Esther Elaine Smith

Esther Elaine Smith, 68, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away on March 12, 2024 from complications of melanoma cancer. 

She was born in a suburb of Los Angeles, California, on December 28, 1955 to a World War II military veteran parent. She was a very active member of multiple high school musical activities.

After high school in 1974, located in Simi Valley, north of Los Angeles, she signed up for time in the U.S. Army. She later switched branches of service to the U.S. Navy. She was a Yeoman (Administrative person), attaining the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class, E-6. She was the only female in an otherwise all-male submarine squadron. She served in the reserves for a full 20 years and retired on November 1, 2001. 

She arrived in Colorado Springs in early 1993 and got involved in the school system shortly after arrival. Esther graduated from multiple schools, the last from Regis University in Colorado Springs and received a Master of Arts Degree in Liberal Studies: Education in August of 1999. She taught for 25 additional years to middle school students in various schools in Colorado Springs. Her latest classroom was in Galileo Middle School. 

In the past 25 years, she has been actively involved with the EAA Chapter 72 general aviation unit, located at Meadow Lake Airport just northeast of Falcon. She served as Secretary, Treasurer, and Head Cook for many years, as all three simultaneously. She helped plan, shop, and supervised many thousands of meals for members and public functions. 

She also got middle school students involved in a somewhat forgotten cemetery named Fairview Cemetery, located on south 26th Street, just south of Highway 24 going towards Woodland Park. The students cleaned the cemetery and eventually found and documented the tombstones of over 550 buried service veterans. She got the students and other military organizations become involved in Wreaths Across America and posting U.S. flags for Veterans Day. These actions taught the students the importance of the service these veterans did for their country. 

She was lesser involved with supporting two needy families who had students in middle schools. She planned parties and breakfast gatherings for EAA Chapter 72. She travelled with a Youth Education organizations for years. She chaperoned students to Europe, Australia, Canada, and other locations. She really liked doing tax returns for friends. Pooh Bear and Disney films were favorite entertainments. Taking the grandchildren to Disney World in Florida was a real treat. She especially enjoyed ocean cruises to US-friendly islands and Alaska. 

She is survived by her sisters, Patricia and Cynthia; brother, Wallace; son, Benjamin; two grandchildren; and her significant other, Michael. 

Visitation, 5:00PM, Thursday, March 21, 2024, The Springs Funeral Services, 3115 East Platte Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909.

In lieu of flowers, Esther would wish that annual memorial contributions be sent to Wreaths Across America Organization to remember veterans, https://donate.wreathsacrossamerica.org/