Lydia Smith, 82

Lydia Loy Smith, 82, died Nov. 2, 2023, in Gig Harbor, Wash. She was born on a snowy Jan. 26, 1941, in her grandmother’s house near Akron, Ohio, to Bernard (Jesse) and Myrl Ballard. In early 1942, she took the train with her mother, brother, and aunt to Southern California to join her father who had recently graduated from trade school and had secured employment as a tool and die maker in the aerospace industry.

She grew up in Lenox, a suburb of Los Angeles when the area was still somewhat rural. Her family did not own a car, so they traveled by foot and trolley, and she took horseback riding lessons at a nearby corral. She grew up camping and swimming and graduated from Inglewood High School class of 1958. Shy by nature, she was a beautiful woman. In the 1960s and ’70s, she was a “Meter Maid” for the City of Inglewood, driving a buggy and writing parking tickets. Her boss, Captain Jack Smith, later became her husband. On Jack’s retirement from the Inglewood Police Department in 1973, they moved to Post Falls, Idaho, when the population was just under 1,300. Lydia then held a variety of secretarial positions with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Jacklin Seed Company and her church home, Christ the King Lutheran Church.

Jack and Lydia loved boating on Lake Coeur d’Alene, scouring the countryside for antiques, and eating a good hamburger. They thoroughly enjoyed their Alaska cruises. For over 40 years, their house always had at least one rescue dog and for several years, many rescue cats even though Lydia was allergic to them. Their hearts were always full of love for their animals. 

Lydia had an artistic flair and she began quilting in the 1980s. She created beautiful quilts! She never tired of looking through quilting magazines, going to quilting shows and shopping for fabric. She belonged to several quilting groups and even took quilting-themed cruises to the Caribbean. She also loved gardening and watching the birds. She was a great Mom.

After Jack’s death in 2012, Lydia began her battle with dementia. When she was no longer able to keep her beloved home, she moved into the Garden Plaza in Post Falls, and later, as her health and communication abilities declined, she moved to The Lodge at Mallard’s Landing in Gig Harbor where she was able to be near her son who looked after her affairs and her brother who spent summers nearby. To the end, she would spend time sitting and touching and looking at special fabrics she brought with her and enjoyed looking through picture albums of family and friends put together for her by her daughter.

Lydia was preceded in death by her husband, Jack R. Smith, her parents and her brother, Randall Ballard. She is survived by her son, Jeff Schneider of Tacoma, her daughter, Joni (Andrew) Libertin of North Canton, Ohio, and her brother Roger (Coral) Ballard, of Agoura Hills, Calif. She also leaves behind her grandchildren, Maggie (William) Ayrea, Alexandria, Va., Aaron Morrow, Louisville, Ohio, Madeline (Nico) Perrino, Alexandria, Va., Theo Morrow, Washington, D.C., Jordan Schneider, Seattle, and Ryan Schneider, Portland, three great-grandchildren with a fourth great-grandchild due to arrive for the New Year and three nieces and their families. Lydia will be privately interred with her husband Jack, near her parents at Riverview Cemetery in Coeur d’Alene. Donations can be made in her memory to Companions Animal Center (P.O. Box 1005, Hayden, ID, 83835 or 208-772-4019). Box 1005, Hayden, ID 83835.

Lydia is surely now in Heaven with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; her mind is clear and her ability to speak has been restored. She and Jack are likely sitting together, with their dogs, Ollie, Lady and Katie, happily curled up at their feet.

Please feel free to leave a memory of Lydia at Gaffneyfuneralhome.com.