Minerva Smith Giles

Born in the Big Apple in 1930, Minerva Dorothy Smith came into the world as the only Cesarean section that year where both the mother and child survived at the hospital in Manhattan. This was her first great roar.

Minerva was raised near the water in the bays of Long Island. Fish, crabs and oysters were part of the daily catch. Her dad had two boats and the dubious distinction of surviving the Great Hurricane of 1938. She sometimes recounted the experience of being on the boat while her dad recovered dead bodies floating in the Long Island Sound. This storm is still considered by many experts as the worst cyclone to hit the US in recorded history.

Moving to Washington DC as a teenager, Minerva settled into life attending Central High School. She met her future husband, Donald Giles, in MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship). He was the love of her life. Theirs was a partnership that would last a lifetime.

Born at a time when most women didn’t go to college, Minerva bucked the trend and attended nursing school in Washington DC. She paid her own way and worked entry level jobs to cover her nursing tuition and living expenses. At this time, nursing schools were like the military – curfew and dress codes. Importantly, nurses in training had to be unmarried and chaste, but this did not stop her secret marriage to Don.

Graduating as an RN, it would become the beginning of a powerful life dedicated to the care of other people. Those of us who knew her, already know about her caring nature.

Minerva and Don grew the family to include a daughter and son. With Don’s job as an engineer during the early space race, the family moved many times across the eastern US - Alabama, Virginia, Florida (twice), Maryland (twice) and New York (twice). To Minerva, this was an opportunity to grow and educate her family.

Working in hospitals across five - different states, Minerva affected everyone she mentored. Beloved by her peers and employees, she became an expert in recovery room nursing. Rising to head nurse in several hospitals, she instilled her deep care for other people generously and widely.

Retiring to Florida, Minerva became a grandmother with an RV. Taking grandkids across the US and Canada, visiting interesting places, teaching her grandkids important lessons; this was her life.

Losing some of her sight didn’t slow her down much. She continued to knit and crochet baby blankets for newborns at -local hospitals.

Losing her husband in 2013 did not silence her roar. She continued speaking up for innovations at her independent living facility, Buena Vida Estates.

In her final days, Minerva continued to mentor and care for other people. It is the culmination of a life dedicated to helping other people. It was a life well loved. Somewhere above, she continues to roar.

Minerva is survived by her daughter Donna Giles of White Plains, NY, son Steven Giles (Cynthia) of Asheville, NC, grandsons Daniel Giles (Anna Marie) of Raleigh, NC, and Dylan Giles of Providence, RI, her sister-in-law Martha Giles of Dallas, TX, and several nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service for Minerva will be held Monday, March 25, 2024 at 1:00 PM at Buena Vida Estates. (2129 West New Haven Avenue, West Melbourne, FL 32904)

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the BrightFocus Foundation to help find a cure for macular degeneration. Follow the link below.