Olive Glen Smith

The only child of United States Treasury official John Morrison and his wife, former New York actress Sarah Hillock Morrison, Olive was born August 8, 1922, in Chicago, Ill. The family then moved to Detroit, Michigan, where Olive would grow up among the hustle and bustle of the newly christened Motor City.

College beckoned in 1940, but after one year at Northwestern University, Olive returned to Detroit and eventually met a young U.S. Navy pilot; Washburn, Wisconsin, native Melvin Smith. They married in 1945 and returned to Detroit following the end of World War II. It was during those first few years together that Melvin entered the University of Detroit’s dental school. In 1948 the couple welcomed the birth of their first son, Gregory Carter Smith. Their second son, Brandan Jason Smith, was born eight years later.

By 1960 the young family was firmly settled in Bay City, Michigan, where Melvin practiced dentistry from 1958 until his retirement in 1982. During those years Olive raised her family and often assisted her husband’s dental practice by filling in as the receptionist. The couple spent their last 25 years together soaking up the sun in Green Valley, Arizona. Following Melvin’s 2007 passing, Olive moved to Fresno, California, to be with her youngest son.

Olive loved entertainment, from the musical comedies of the 1930s to her favorite TV westerns in the 1950s and ‘60s. Whether she was watching a John Wayne classic film, episodes of TV’s Gunsmoke, or Gary Cooper standing tall against the outlaws, Olive was entranced by the straight-shooting heroic men of action that filled the screen and loved the times she and her husband spent vacationing in America’s western states.

Olive is survived by sons Gregory (Mary) and Brandan (Rachel), plus three grandsons Keith (Krystal), Cary (Lee), Ryan (Katy) and several great grandchildren.

The family wishes to thank the staff at The Green Gables Care Home for making Olive comfortable during her later years. The family also wishes to thank Saint Agnes Hospice for the fine services provided.