Barbara Lorraine Smith Camacho

Barbara Lorraine Camacho – born Barbara Lorraine Smith on October 17, 1931 in Minneapolis, Minnesota to the late Michael Smith and Mary Radosevic Smith. She was the middle child with an older brother and sister and two younger brothers. She graduated salutatorian of her class at Eden Prairie H.S. in Eden Prairie, MN and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder where she met and married her husband Salvador ‘Bud’ Camacho.

After his graduation & commissioning, Bud was assigned to the 3rd Engineer Battalion in Munich, Germany where he and Barbara lived and spent three years enjoying his assignment and touring Europe “on a shoe string”. While stationed in Munich they met and formed lifelong friendships with several other lieutenants and their wives. They remained special friends to this day. Also while in Munich their two oldest sons were born (David Paul and Mark Steven) at the US Army 2nd Field Hospital.

Upon returning to the USA, Bud was employed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Their two younger sons (Thomas Miguel and Jeffrey Alan) were born in Santa Clara, California. Job related moves took them to Indianapolis, IN, Somers, NY, and finally to Raleigh, NC which has been home since 1971. Bud died in 2010 of Alzheimer’s. They were married for 52 years.

Her first love was her family... who are eternally grateful for her love, and kindness, and wisdom... and her cooking! She also enjoyed bridge, tennis, skiing and baking – especially desserts – pies were her favorite.

Over the last 40 years in Raleigh she made many deep and abiding, lifelong friends with whom she shared life and whom added a wellspring of love and richness to her life. The family wishes to thank them for what they meant to her and to our family.

Finally, the family wishes to say that the privilege and blessing of knowing this wonderful, wonderful woman cannot be described in words. The legacy that she leaves in all of our hearts will live on for many generations and it comforts us to know that although she has shed her frail earthly body, she is now laughing and dancing with her Heavenly Father in eternity.

She is survived by her sons David & Pam Camacho (grandchildren, Kate Moore and husband Ben, and Kris), Mark & Kim Camacho (grandchildren, Carson, Dallas, Race), Thomas & Beth Camacho (grandchildren, Daniel, Caryn, Rebecca) and Jeffrey & Kelly Camacho (grandchildren, Caden, Tessa, Maddox); granddaughter in-law, Andrea Camacho; and great grandchildren, Aran Camacho and Sailor Moore; and her brother, Michael Smith and wife, Sharon,

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Salvador ‘Bud’ Camacho, her brothers Tom Smith, Ed Smith; sister, Mary Dresser and her infant brother "Mickey boy", and sadly by her first and eldest grandchild, Caleb Camacho.

A memorial service for Barbara was held on Saturday, October 8, 2022 in the Chapel of Mitchell Funeral Home, Raleigh, Burial was in Raleigh Memorial Park.

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