Georgine H. Smith

Georgine H. Smith, age 73 died on September 8, 2012 while a resident of Bothell Healthcare in Bothell, Washington. Georgine was born on January 5, 1939 in Norristown, Pennsylvania to George Shimer and Mildred Falconer Shimer. She is known affectionately to family and friends as "George". She lived in the Norristown and Conshohocken areas of Pennsylvania for 65 years. She attended high school in the newly built Plymouth-Whitemarsh Senior High School and was in the first class to graduate from the school. Georgine was married in 1958 to Chester Smith. Their daughter Marti was born in 1959. They divorced 5 years later, George never remarried.

George overcame many physical challenges in her life. She was hit by a car while crossing the street with her bike when she was 12, and suffered severe head injuries which caused her to lose the nerves on the right side of her face and caused vision loss in her right eye and other physical challenges. Even though this was a significant injury, George was able to recover and over the years, become an inspiration to many people with her no-nonsense attitude and ability to overcome any obstacle. In her last years, her physical challenges increased, surviving breast cancer and living with kidney cancer, but she always surprised people with her positive attitude and determination to overcome all odds.George's favorite and most remembered saying was, "Heaven doesn't want me and Hell's afraid I'll take over" to explain her ability to overcome so many physical challenges.

During her time on the east coast, George was active in her church, St. Jude's and the Nativity in Plymouth Meeting, as part of the vestry, chairperson of the church bazaar and various other positions. She was also a past president of the Whitemarsh Women's Club. After joining St. Francis Episcopal Church in Mill creek, Georgine became a member of The Daughters of the King and remained a member until her death.

She worked as a secretary, at first with the Department of the Navy in downtown Philadelphia and then with Union Chemical, a division of Union 76, where she stayed for 31 years. She retired from there when the office was sold. After that, George went to work for the Montgomery County Health Department for another 11 years before retiring for good in 2004. After that, she made the move to the Bothell area of Washington State to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren, driving cross county with her sister Janet. George became active in the churches she attended after her move, being a co-president of the Altar Guild at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Mill Creek before it's closing, and then at St. John's Episcopal Church in Kirkland, Washington.

George loved her cats, and they were a big comfort to her. Tar Baby and Winston were two of her cats that she had for 17 years. She and her daughter Marti would take their cats on the road to various cat shows in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. Winston was a real winner in the Household Pet division and won many awards. When Tar Baby and Winston passed away, she went to the SPCA to find another kitty, and found MacCavity - an orange and white kitten who, when she picked him up, bit her on the nose! Love at first sight! She added to her family with a black Persian named Boggie. Both cats lived another 16-17 years. At that time she made the difficult decision not to have any more cats as her physical health wouldn't allow for her to care for them properly. She was not alone though - George fell in love with a baby cockatiel and brought her home. Her name is Sunshine and was a great comfort for George, especially once her cats were gone. Sunshine was able to visit with her mommy in the nursing facility and was a hit with the staff, other residents and visitors. Sunshine now resides with Marti and her family along with their cockatiel Jumper, and their 3 cats. All the animals get along well with each other.

Other hobbies that Georgine enjoyed were ceramics, crocheting, embroidery, and baking. George was famous for her wonderful deserts and everyone looked forward to her Christmas cookies each year. George was a very creative person who was also a talented artist. She enjoyed candy making, each year at Easter making her own chocolate Easter eggs to share with friends and family. She passed her love of baking and sharing of food to her daughter. . Georgine also enjoyed eating out and trying new places, especially with friends. Her favorite foods were Italian and Chinese. Her friends in Pennsylvania who were well versed in Asian cuisine took her to many a Chinese New Year celebration and introduced her to many new taste experiences, including chicken feet! It took George a while to get used to the difference in food in Seattle, but she did manage to find a couple of very good places that served Chinese food to her liking and a couple that made very good Italian.

Georgine is survived by her daughter Marti Riley of Bothell, Washington ; her granddaughter Amanda, grandson Colin; her sister Janet Murphy of Wasilla, Alaska.

For those in the Seattle area, friends and family are planning a Wake on October 9th at Grazie's Italian Restaurant in Canyon Park at 5:30 pm as a way to celebrate her life. All are welcome to join in, enjoy good food and exchange memories of George. Please contact Marti Riley for more details on this event. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make donations to the Breast Cancer or Kidney Cancer Society, or the SPCA.