Jeanne Marie (Lauer) Smith, 81, passed away on July 15, 2023, at Swedish Hospital in Chicago. Jeanne was born on April 27, 1942, to Henry and Susan Lauer, the youngest of three children. She grew up in a large extended family in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago and attended school at St. Michael’s, graduating in 1960 at the head of her class. She spent much of her 20s traveling throughout the United States and Europe, making memories that she cherished for the rest of her life. A hippie handed her a flower in Golden Gate Park during the Summer of Love, and she witnessed the start of May 1968 French student revolt while in Paris. She rode in a Jaguar XK-E throughout Italy and danced the night away in the beer garden at the Munich Oktoberfest. In 1972, she eloped with Bill Smith in San Francisco. The couple had two daughters, Nicole and Jennifer, to whom Jeanne was a most dedicated and loving mother.
Jeanne was whip smart and an avid reader. She did everything to make sure her daughters got the best education possible. She also shared her passion for travel with her daughters, taking them on trains, planes, and automobiles to nearly all of the lower 48 states in the union, later traveling across the United States and around the world to visit them in their travels. Health and mobility issues in her later years made life increasingly difficult, but Jeanne’s tenacity, strength, and determination to live and enjoy life were an inspiration to those who knew her.
Jeanne was predeceased by her parents, sister Dolores, brother Donald, and husband Bill. She is survived by daughters Nicole and Jennifer, grandson Jóhann, many nieces and nephews.
Services are private
Fond memories may be shared at www.drakeandsonfuneralhome.com
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