Gretchen Ione Basore Smith passed away on January 7, 2019, at the age of 88. She is survived by her husband, Bradley Edgerton Smith, and her daughter, Ione Lake Smith; she was preceded in death by her son, Bradley Gordon Smith.
Gretchen was born on June 12, 1930, in McAlester, Oklahoma, the only child of Thelma Nettleship Basore and Nolan D. Basore. She attended high school in Pryor, Oklahoma, and graduated from the University of Tulsa in 1951 before marrying Bradley Edgerton Smith in 1953. After working in print advertising and TV commercials to support the family while Bradley attended medical school, she later studied psychology and social work in graduate school at Hofstra University in New York before leaving school to have her first child, Bradley Gordon.
Although Gretchen’s and Bradley’s families had long histories in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Arkansas, Bradley’s career in medicine and service in the Navy sent them to New York, Virginia, Connecticut, and Florida before they finally settled in Nashville in 1969. There they stayed, aside from extensive travel both around the country and around the world. Thanks to those many journeys they were able to indulge their shared love of opera, ballet, theater, and art at many of the world’s premiere venues, and even in her final years Gretchen was a fixture along with her daughter at the “Live in HD” broadcasts of opera, ballet, and theater hosted by local cinemas.
Gretchen’s life-long commitment to service showed in her decades of work in animal rescue as well as aid to disadvantaged Nashville residents. She founded and then ran Feline Hotline cat rescue for many years, both rescuing many animals herself and coordinating with other rescuers to place animals in good homes and to support pet owners who needed financial or other assistance. And she was never limited in what animals she would save, raising quite a few baby birds and even possums along the way. Many local veterinarians, needy Nashvillians, and their pets will miss her greatly.
You are invited to a gathering of family and friends (visitation) at the Brentwood-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home on Saturday, February 23, from 11AM-1PM, followed by a brief memorial service with a reception thereafter. (And by the way, Gretchen loved tie-dye and bright scarves. If you have a favorite scarf or piece of tie-dyed clothing, please feel free to wear it!) In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Feline Hotline account at Animal House Veterinary Clinic; all funds will be used to provide veterinary services to indigent pet owners. Donations can be sent by phone or mail: (615) 834-6441, or Animal House Veterinary Clinic, 223 Largo Drive, Nashville, TN 37211. Survived by her husband, Bradley Edgerton Smith, and her daughter, Ione Lake Smith.
