April 22, 1937 - February 24, 2016
Arlyne Margaret Smith, lovingly known as “ Mother”, “Mom”, “Grammy”, and “GG Smith” passed away on February 24, 2016 at the age of 78. She had been a resident of Spokane since 1972, living at Sullivan Park Care Center for the past year. Arlyne was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 22, 1937 to Clover Mae (Ackison) and Orville William Robinson, joining her sister Phyllis (Robinson) Ritchie, who was born 8 years earlier. Arlyne met Verne K. Smith while she was working and he was on shore leave in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida during the summer of 1957. They were married on December 28, 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a loving and supportive Navy wife and mother of daughters Vicki Foreman, Sandy Norman and son Kevin Smith; Mother-in-law to Chuck Foreman, Tom Norman and Susan Smith; Grandmother to Sarah (Holmes) and Matt Ireland, Matthew and Jessica Holmes, Melissa (Norman) and Carlton Gillespie, Andrew and Kelsey Smith, Rebecca Norman, and Bryan Smith; and Great-Grandmother to Sebastian Emerson, Brock Ireland, Greta Holmes and Harper Smith. Being a Navy family resulted in moving many times over the years. They lived in Gales Ferry, CT; Port Deposit, MD; Imperial Beach, CA; El Cajon, CA; Williamsburg VA; Charleston, SC; Dayton, Ohio; Naples, Italy; Spokane, WA; Elk, WA; Yuma, AZ, and Fishtrap, Lake. Arlyne always found ways to stay busy no matter where they were stationed. She enjoyed watching sports on TV and in person, especially hockey and football. She loved many different crafts including painting, sewing, and miniatures. There were always violets in the house and roses in the yards because of her green thumb. She was a member of Eastern Stars, secretary for Calvary Lutheran Church and a Girl Scout leader for her daughter’s Cadette troop. Arlyne also served as the summer Bible School Director at Zion Lutheran in Deer Park for 3 years. Arlyne is preceded in death by her mother, father, and sister and the pets the family grew up with: Peaches, Puppy, Tippy and Figaro. She is survived by her family and nieces Cheryl (Ritchie) Marshall and Gail (Ritchie) Harber and their cat, Tigger Her special message to all of us was “Love You More. Give Yourself a Hug.” She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. A Celebration of Life will be held for Arlyne on April 16, 2016 at 11:00am at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, located at 9706 N. Division St in Spokane. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers donations be made in Arlyne’s name to: - The Alzheimer Association to support Vascular Dementia Research - http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp - and - Comfort Zone Camp, a bereavement camp for children to help them cope with grief from the loss of a parent or sibling: - 20695 S. Western Ave. Suite 145, Torrance CA 90501 She was a giver and was always willing to help others, making them feel like a part of the family. On her behalf, we would like to thank the staff of Sullivan Park Care Center for everything they did to help Arlyne while she was in their facility. The care she received reflected the compassionate, loving and giving qualities she lived by. Community Cremation & Funeral - Spokane Valley - 13127 E. Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley, WA 99216, (509)926-2020 - Communitycremationandfuneral.com
