Life Story for
Judith Lynne Smooke
Judith Lynne Smooke, 76, of Sun Valley, Idaho died peacefully at home with her beloved husband, Richard Smooke, and family by her side on February 7, 2017. Born December 16, 1940, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Judy was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and then Los Angeles, California. Judy was a proud graduate of UCLA, majoring in English. She briefly taught fourth grade at LAUSD and then raised her family. An avid reader, volunteer, philanthropist and traveler, Judy was very lucky that she was given much and had been able to give back to her community.
While living in Los Angeles, she was a member of Cedars Sinai’s Helping Hand Auxiliary, a member of the Art Museum Council at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and served as a Homeless Healthcare Project board member, working in conjunction with Comic Relief. Judy also ran half marathons, training with the San Fernando Valley Track Club, and regularly skied the slopes at Mammoth Mountain, until she discovered Mt Baldy in Ketchum, Idaho.
Judy and her husband, have been residents of Sun Valley Idaho for decades, where she continued such pursuits as downhill and cross country skiing in addition to hiking, golf, and biking. Always passionate about education and the arts, photography was a hobby of hers. She had her own darkroom and won photography competitions.
Judy’s community activities continued in Idaho where she was a past president of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, a Sun Valley Center for the Arts board member for many years, and an advisory board member of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts. In 2010 she was voted Arts Advocate of the Year by the Wood River Valley Community Awards. Judy was a board member of the Company of Fools, and a Sun Valley Summer Symphony board member for six years, holding the position of Vice President of Education and serving on the Sun Valley Symphony’s Education Committee. She was also actively involved in the building of Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s Pavilion and the Labyrinth at St. Thomas Church. Judy also volunteered in the surgical department at St. Luke’s and was a member of UCLA Women in Philanthropy.
Judy’s other passions were her family, her dogs, Java and Murphy, reading, travel, and her church. She served on the vestry of St. Thomas Church, regularly participating in Church services as a Eucharistic Minister. Judy received the Rector’s Cross from St. Thomas Church on January 29, 2017. She had an adventurous spirit, exploring the world with her devoted husband. She was a loving daughter to Anita Repole, and is survived by her husband, Richard Smooke, and her children and grandchildren.
A burial service with communion will be held at St. Thomas Church in Ketchum, Idaho on Friday the 24th of February, 2017 at 2:00pm, with inurnment in the columbarium immediately afterwards. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Luke’s Wood River Foundation, Hospice and Palliative Care of the Wood River Valley, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, or a charity of your choice.