Helen Elizabeth "Betsy" Smearman

On Sunday, January 4, 2026, Helen Elizabeth “Betsy” Smearman (nee Lindenstruth) went home to be with the Lord. She was the beloved wife of the late Charles Jacob “Charlie” Smearman; loving mother of Stephen Smearman (Yen Thi Vu-Smearman), Gregory Smearman (Laura Miller Smearman), Susanne Maltby, and Edward Smearman (Barbara Smearman), the late Maryanne Rosinsky and her living husband Schim Rosinsky; cherished grandmother of Tess (Nicholas), Andrew, Matthew (Dyandra), Erik, Peter, Kate and the late Carl and his living wife Kaileen Rouin; great grandmother of Zoë; dear sister of George F. Lindenstruth Jr. (Inge) and David E. Lindenstruth (Kathleen). She is also survived by 8 nieces and nephews, a host of great nieces and nephews, and other loving extended family. Betsy leaves behind her three beloved caregivers, Velma, Sonia, and Shirnett, who cared for her with unwavering love and compassion.

A lifelong learner, Betsy graduated from the Towson Catholic High School in 1952, achieved a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology from Mount St. Agnes College in 1956, a Second Bachelor of Arts from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland in 1987, as well as attending multiple continuing education courses from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Towson University. She worked for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland beginning in 1980 as the Director of Plant Operations. After retiring from her College of Notre Dame position, her goal-oriented industriousness led her to hold new part-time positions at Francis Scott Key Medical Center (now Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center) and Loyola College.

Betsy was the heart and steady center of her family as a devoted and faith-filled mother whose home was always open and whose table was always full. Hosting holiday meals was one of her greatest joys, and through those gatherings she created traditions rooted in love and laughter. A devout Catholic with the patience of Job, she lived her faith daily with her servant’s heart, preparing meals for the homeless with Our Daily Bread and serving as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Pius X Catholic Church.

Betsy loved traveling and sailing with her husband Charlie and together they made countless memories vacationing at the beach and tent camping with their five children over the years across nearly every state in the country. With her husband and friends she visited many countries in Europe and Asia. She delighted in God’s beauty through music and the arts, enjoying the opera, classical music, and beloved musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof and The Sound of Music, and she never missed cheering on her Baltimore Orioles. She found happiness caring for others in countless ways, loving on her Scotties, Smokey and Cory, mix Belle, and Basset Hound Flopsy, sewing clothes for her children and sometimes herself, baking cakes and cupcakes for family celebrations, and tending her gardens of flowers and vegetables.

Being the efficient woman she was, Betsy faithfully managed family finances and organized vacations that brought everyone together. In her later years, she remained active at the YMCA, proudly calling herself one of the Aqua Aerobics “Mermaids,” and continued her lifelong love of reading through several book clubs. Her life was a beautiful witness to faith, generosity, and selfless love, and her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the people she served and the God she trusted completely.

The family will receive friends in the Lemmon Funeral Home of Dulaney Valley, Inc. 10 W. Padonia Road (at York Road) Timonium, Maryland 21093 on Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 3-7 PM.

A Celebration of Betsy’s Life will take place on Friday, January 16, 2026 at the funeral home starting at 11 AM.

Interment to follow at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations may be made in Betsy’s honor to a charity of your choice.