Jeanie M. Smith

Jeanie Marie Smith was born January 21, 1936 in Portland, Oregon to Charles Benjamin and Margaret Louise Bussey. She passed gently into Spirit World Saturday morning, August 22, 2015 in Portland with family at her side. Growing up in Milwaukie, Oregon, with parents who were both school teachers, her childhood home was filled with classical music, opera, the fine arts, dance and lively political and social discussions. Her parents instilled a love of learning, the practice and respect for all living things, appreciation for creative endeavors, the beauty and benefits of nature and self-confidence. While in Junior High her dad introduced her to downhill skiing on Mt. Hood. She loved it! Her competitive spirit even caught the eye of a member of the Women’s U.S. Ski Team. Jeanie loved competition. She graduated Class of 1954 from Milwaukie Union High School, actively participating in dramatic and comedic productions and served as President of the Thespian Dramatic Troupe, often earning “best actor” awards for her performances. Reading literature and writing poetry began early and earned her place in the accelerated English writing class. In 1954, she was crowned Miss Milwaukie and went on to compete in Seaside for the Miss Oregon title. In 1955, she married Gordon N. Olson, raising two daughters, Debra and Becky Rae. Time was filled with taking care of the home, involving the girls in ice skating, trips to her grandparents Oregon beach property and waterski/camping trips to Devils Lake and Pelton Dam with friends and kids galore. In 1968, she married Doug Thompson who had two sons, Rex and Brian, who lived in Eugene. The move to Beaverton started an active chapter in her life. She worked fulltime at Silver Eagle Trucking Company, and would occasionally enjoy timing her commute over Germantown Road in their Porsche. Weekends were always busy! Sailing the San Juan Islands, backpack trips in the Oregon mountains and working as crew for Doug’s race car extravaganzas up and down the West Coast. As if that wasn’t enough, her love for downhill skiing returned with her being the 4th woman in Oregon to achieve the highest level of ski instructor certification and teaching at Mt. Hood Ski Bowl. She also had the opportunity to helicopter ski on Mt. Hood. In the mid-70’s, she became a single mom with one daughter in college and one at home. During this time, the 1978 airline deregulation was taking shape and her entrepreneurial drive began with the creation of Prestige Travel, a niche business specializing in corporate travel. While building her client base, she was introduced to Ken Smith, General Manager/Secretary Treasurer of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In 1981 she married Ken Smith who had a son Greg and a daughter Michele. It was a week after their marriage, Ken received the call and was interviewed and later appointed Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in The Department of Interior and off they went to Washington D.C. for four years. With the move to D.C., she yet again saw an opportunity to carve another niche business by creating, Topaz Enterprises, a travel management consulting and auditing firm. Her clients included Fortune 500 companies across the country and she was often described as “the nation’s foremost air-fare watchdog” being quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and trade and financial publications. The industry loved her presence on any platform. She ran with the big dogs and was in high demand as a speaker and writer. In 1985 Jeanie and Ken returned to their families and friends in Oregon, where Jeanie relocated her business and Ken returned to work with his own consulting business. During the 1990’s she contributed to the arts again by working closely with The Museum of Warm Springs Huckleberry Harvest events hosted at their home and supporting the Futures for Children auction fundraisers in New Mexico. Jeanie sold and retired from Topaz Consulting in 1997 and began pursuing her love of ceramic and visual arts in her new studio built on the Deschutes River. In 1998, they purchased a home in Palm Springs and would enjoy the best of both worlds splitting time between the two homes. Retirement brought time to delve into hiking, travel, golf, ceramics, photography, painting and collage. Her art has shown in galleries from Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Sandy, Portland and Madras. In 2008 they returned to Oregon 100% and recently settled into their wonderful condo downtown. Jeanie loved to entertain. Her creative healthy food combinations, invigorating conversations, beautiful settings, with smiles and laughter to fill the room were her hallmark. Jeanie and Ken traveled the world from motorhome to cruise ships. They loved exploring ancient ruins, wildlife, museums and the sandy beaches. She even jumped in to swim with the sharks! That was our Jeanie. Jeanie embraced life with exuberant enthusiasm. Adventurous, positive, athletic, creative, strong willed and competitive, caring and sensitive, humorous, intelligent, beautiful. She participated fully and gleefully in life. She truly was an amazing woman. Her attitude toward death echoed “I was never afraid of life, why would I be afraid of death”. She leaves a hole which she would want filled with happy memories, smiles and laughter. We send her love and appreciation as she goes off on her next adventure! We love you. Thank you for being you. Jeanie is survived by her husband, Ken Smith. Her daughters Debra Daniels, Becky Rae Schroeder (David) and Michele Hensel (Kendal). Six great-grandchildren and many dear cousins and her loyal dog, Benni. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Nancy V. Kelly and son, Greg Smith. Memorial services will be held Thursday, September 17, 2015 at 1:30 pm at the Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes, 11667 SE Stevens Rd, Happy Valley, OR 97086 (www.sunnysidechimes.com). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Art Adventure Gallery in Madras, Oregon (artadventuregallery.com) or Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington (ovariancancerosw.org).Charitable donations may be made to: Art Adventure Gallery 185 SW 5th St., P.O. Box 376, Madras OR 97741 Tel: 1-541-475-7701 Web: http://www.info@artadventuregallery.com The Art Adventure Galley is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation – all donations are tax deductible Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington PMB 243, Suite 103 16420 SE McGillivray, Vancouver WA 98683-3461 Tel: 1-877-682-2679 Web: http://www.ovariancancerosw.org The Ovarian Cancer Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation – all donations are tax deductible Here’s my Facebook movie. Find yours at https://facebook.com/lookback/ #FacebookIs10Posted by Jeanie Smith on Wednesday, February 5, 2014 Service Information