Grace M. Smith, born Sept. 20, 1942, in Sidney, passed on to our heavenly Lord at the age of 77 on May 5, 2020, in Willow Grove, Pa. She was living at The Landing Willow Grove where she succumbed to a battle with lung cancer.
She is survived by her daughters, Barbara Young Smith of Abington Pa., and Valerie Young Falco of Cherry Hill, N.J.; five grandchildren (Shannon, Ryan and Jenna Smith, and Elizabeth and Michael Falco); and her sister, Rebecca (Miller) Wilber, Jacksonville, Fla.; and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Homer and Almira (Hughes) Miller; and two husbands, Robert Fries, Sr., and James Smith; and her companion Charles Olsen.
Grace was married to Duane “Dewey” Young (1964-1978) in Toledo, and Woodbury Heights N.J.; Robert James Fries, Sr (1984-2005) in Cheltenham, Pa and Line Lexington, Pa. Grace reconnected with a high school sweetheart James Smith (2008-2014) in Line Lexington. Grace moved to Souderton, Pa., where she lived several years with Charles Olsen (2015-2019).
Grace grew up in Bloom Center. she attended Ohio Northern University. Grace worked for Ethan Allen, ran 4-H for her girls, and volunteered at their school. She was school board president for Woodbury Heights Elementary School, played bridge, tennis, and belonged to a ski club. While living in S. Jersey, Grace worked in sales for several different newspapers. Once she moved to Pennsylvania, she worked many years for Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi Pasteur. Grace was an avid sewer, making clothes for her and her family, and many quilts; she loved animals, especially her cats, and volunteered for Windermere Percheron Farm. She loved decorating her homes, gardening, making drapes and recovering furniture, and made every home beautiful inside and out. Grace would take the train into the city to attend classical concerts, plays and musicals. She loved reading biographies and about places she would travel. She completed her Bachelor’s degree from Eastern University at age 49, and volunteered as a mentor to abused women, tutored illiterate adults to read and budget their finances. She enjoyed car shows, was a member of the Delaware Valley Jaguar Club, was proud of the many awards her FPace won; and winning the concourse competition for her bracket. She was a devoted mother and inspired her daughters to follow their dreams and supported them in all their endeavors.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the following: your local animal or women’s shelter or volunteer; American Alzheimer’s Association; or World Wild Life Jaguar Fund. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, her memorial services in Ohio will be conducted Aug. 22nd at 10 a.m. at the Cromes-Edwards Funeral Home, 302 S Main Ave., Sidney, Ohio.