Susan Wetherill (Morris) Smith
Susan Smith passed away on April 1, 2022. Her death was sudden and unexpected, but her family and friends can find comfort in the fact that she was at home.
Susan was born on July 15, 1947, to Virginia and William Morris of Mount Prospect, IL. She went to the University of Illinois, was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, and received her bachelor’s degree in journalism.
After college, Susan moved to Chicago to work for the Quaker Oats company where she met her husband, Eddie C. Smith. As she liked to say, “When I met Ed, I worked for him. When we got married, he worked for me.”
From Chicago, Susan and her family lived in Dayton, OH, Libertyville, IL, and ultimately, settled in Phoenix, AZ in 1991.
While raising her kids, Susan wrote a regular column for the local newspaper. Like her, the column was short and witty. When asked if she wanted to add restaurant reviews, she declined, saying “I can’t. I never complain about a meal I didn’t have to cook.” True to her word, she was a delightful dinner guest.
Susan loved golf and the PPCC friends she played it with. To brag on her a bit (and if we can’t brag now, when can we?), her drives never missed the middle of the fairway. A metaphor for her life, her golf game was practiced and meticulous while her sparkly golf cap was fun and entertaining.
She was an accomplished painter, lifelong gardener, and talented decorator. She and Eddie saw the world on cruises and she loved the family dude ranch vacations…primarily because she brought her putter. A member and elder of the Desert Hills Presbyterian Church for thirty years, she was very active in leadership and service roles.
Susan is survived by Eddie Smith, her husband and best friend of 50 years. Eddie put it best when he said, “We had a 50-year love affair, but also a 50-year like affair.”
She is also survived by Rebecca Masterson (John) and Andy Smith, her two children, and Jana Smoley (Nye), her daughter by marriage. She was “Grandma Susie” to six grandchildren, Ali, Riley, Jake, Nick, Isaac and Xia, sister to Sharon Smedley (Mark), and aunt to Emily Daley (Jason). She is preceded in death by her parents and her oldest daughter by marriage, Jodi McNamara (Dennis).
Susan will be missed terribly and we grieve deeply. But she was not one for drawn out goodbyes and would insist that we celebrate her life. Please join us for a memorial service in North Scottsdale at the Desert Hills Presbyterian Church on April 23, at 10:00am, with a reception to follow at the same location. For those unable to attend in person, visit deserthills.org for the livestream link.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Desert Hills Presbyterian Church.