Irene M. Smith
Irene M. Smith died peacefully on Jan. 21, 2016 at home on Greenwood Lake in Hewitt, with her family. She was the young age of 82.
She was born Irene Angeline Maley on Aug. 13,1933 in Port Huron, Michigan, and grew up in Hammond, Indiana. In 1959, Irene married C. Clinton Smith Jr. and initially moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While raising a family, she moved many times and lived in Franklin and Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Wayne and Caldwell, New Jersey, Medfield, Massachusetts, Martinsburg, West Virginia and South Portland, Maine.
Irene with her family started boating on Greenwood Lake in 1965 and shortly afterwards purchased a summer home there. In 1977 she settled in Hewitt. Irene enjoyed spending many hours on or observing Greenwood Lake from her lakefront home in Hewitt where Jasper Cropsey made one of his oil paintings.
Irene’s professional career began when she graduated from high school at the age of 16 and started working at Shell Oil in Chicago. In 1977, she helped start CC Smith Associates, which was a manufacturer representative for many companies in the fire and safety industry where she was the office manager. Irene was a constant figure at the fire and safety trade shows across the country where many people in the industry got to know her.
During her professional career she also started and served as an officer for CC Smith, a fire hose company, providing fire hose, nozzles and other firematic equipment to various fire departments across the country. She retired from CC Smith Associates in 2005 at the age of 72.
Irene had many hobbies including playing cards and games with her grandchildren, in addition to making jams and apple cider.
Irene was also a die-hard Yankees fan and would always be watching her favorite team play. During a Yankee game no distractions were allowed but watching it with her was strongly encouraged.
She was always an active member of the community for her entire life. Her more recent activities involved serving on the West Milford Environmental Commission. She was also the secretary of the West Milford Republican Club and ran many phone banks encouraging voter turnout. Irene was also elected to the Passaic County Republican Committee for West Milford and also served as its secretary.
She leaves behind C. Clinton Smith, Jr., her husband of more than 55 years, and her sister and brother-in-law, Kathryn and Dean Helfer of Butler, Pennsylvania. Irene came from a large family of seven siblings and is survived by one sister, Francis Barnett, of Sparks, Nevada.
Irene has four sons: Clinton Smith and his wife Mary Smith of Warwick, New York, Mike Smith of Milford, Pennsylvania, Timothy Smith who predeceased her, and William Smith of Clifton.
She was blessed with six grandchildren: Samuel, Rose, Lisa, Kelly, Alexandria and Victoria, in addition to numerous nephews and nieces.
She had many friends and family which she enjoyed talking with all the time. She will be missed but not forgotten.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016, from 3 to 5 p.m., at Richards Funeral Home 1440 Union Valley Road in West Milford.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Upper Greenwood Lake Volunteer Ambulance Corps, PO Box 1087, Hewitt, NJ 07421 in her memory.