Alice R. Smith

Alice, Mom or Nana, as she was known to family and friends, was born February 28, 1941, in Troy, New York to Frances Turner and Omer Riel. Her mother left their family at a young age, and she endured a very rough upbringing with her father. She left home as a teenager and started her life with her husband of almost 50 years, James Smith. As a young and struggling family, they travelled across the United States trying to survive and make a living. They finally settled in South Florida where they eventually started a successful tree business and raised 7 children.

Alice was a devoted, loving and generous soul with a fiery passion for her family, business, art, sports, games, gambling and coin collecting.

She was a creative artist who loved to crochet, paint and make floral and gift arrangements. By selling her creations at their fruit stand, she was able to help provide for their family. Alice had a passion for crocheting that enabled her to make treasured gifts for family and friends. Through her generosity and love for people, she spent many hours crocheting baby hats, blankets and clothing for premature babies donating them to the local NICU and to charity.

Alice loved all things sports. In particular, she loved to watch her sons bowl, to fish with her family at Lake Okeechobee and Clewiston and to watch her favorite football team, the Miami Dolphins.

She was an avid card player who cherished her time with friends, a gamer who loved Nintendo and would compete against her grandchildren, a jigsaw puzzle master and Trouble champion. Her love for games also made her a fierce competitor. She would take down her own child, grandchild and probably even a great- grandchild too, in a serious game of Trouble. Her love for gambling was no secret either, spending countless hours in the casino playing the machines and lightning bingo. Alice and Jim were high rollers who would drop a ton of money at the casino just to cash out the winnings for coins to add to their impressive quarter collection.

But with all of her loves and passions, the greatest was her love for her family. Those born into it and those who weren’t. She was a mom to anyone who needed a mom, she was Nana to everyone. She had a heart of gold so large and bright it shined on anyone who was near her. Alice, Mom, Nana, you will be remembered for your love, devotion, strength and generosity. You will be remembered as a gem, the most precious of gems treasured by all who were blessed in this life to know and love you.

Alice was preceded in death by her husband, James Smith, survived by her 7 loving children: Frances Symons, James Smith Jr., Joseph Smith, John Smith, Susan Smith, Alice Smith and Jason Smith, her 13 grandchildren and 34 great-grandchildren.