Mary L. Smith, 89

Mary passed away peacefully on June 20, 2020, in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the age of 89. She was born Oct. 25, 1930, in Roosevelt, Utah, to Charley Joseph and Leah Pearl Baldwin Langer. She lived her early years in the wilderness of Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Mary’s father was killed in a plane crash in 1943 doing what he loved, flying over the forest he administered in Stanley, Idaho. This was a major defining event of her life, separating her from a life as a free-roaming child of a forest ranger, to the structured routine of boarding school in Mount Pleasant, Utah. Mary always remembered Stanley with fondness and often told stories of her time there.

She married Kenneth Smith in Mount Pleasant in 1952. They had two sons, Kenneth, Jr. and Micheal. She was baptized into the LDS Church in 1953.

After she graduated from Westminster College and the University of Utah with degrees in education, she taught at Westlake Jr. High and Granger High, in Utah, and Burley Jr. High in Idaho. Mary influenced countless young minds over her many years of teaching.

After Ken’s retirement, Ken and Mary moved to their dream farm in Albion, Idaho. She continued to work, teaching math to the children in nearby Burley. When she would come home from school they dined on fresh veggies straight out of the garden from her beloved husband’s labor of love.

After retiring from teaching at age 65, she and Ken moved to Hayden, Idaho, where she turned to her passion for writing historical romance novels. She had several novels published, which was always a great source of pride for her. She was a member of the Idaho Writers League for many years and won several awards.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Kenneth Eugene. She is survived by her brother, Charley (Susan); sons Kenneth Charley (Sue) and Michael (Sandra); daughter-in-law, Carol; three nephews; two nieces; four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at a later date.