Gayle Deborah Smith

Gayle Deborah Clark Smith, born at Emory hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, on 6/28/1943, died on Friday, 10/18/2024 at a long-term care facility in Indianapolis, Indiana. Though she experienced physical and cognitive decline over the years from three strokes, she remained a strong, generous vibrant person who still went to the movies each week and enjoyed an occasional Guinness up to the week of her death.

Gayle was born and raised in Atlanta, and she moved away only three times in her life. She attended William Woods University in Missouri for several years but then transferred home to attend Georgia State University. She moved to Chicago (referred to by family as “the frozen North”) after marrying Frank M Smith III and then to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, after their divorce in 1975. She returned to Atlanta in 1980 to finish her bachelor's and master’s degrees in English literature, and she moved away from Atlanta a final time in 2014 to Indianapolis (the “lesser frozen North”) for family support after having a 3rd stroke. She lived independently for as long as possible, moving into an assisted living facility (Oasis at 30th) in Spring 2019 and a long-term care facility (University Heights) in early 2023.

In life, Gayle possessed a multitude of positive qualities that endeared her to her family and many friends. Among these qualities were her sharp intellect and wit, tools she deftly employed to make people laugh and see the world both more clearly and less gravely. She was also a highly creative person; this creativity manifested in her passion for acting in college and several decades in community theater in Atlanta, the latter for which she won several awards. Some of her favorite roles included Lady Macbeth, Big Momma in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Daisy in Driving Ms. Daisy. Other creative endeavors included playing piano in middle & high school in the 50s; being a puppeteer with Sid & Marty Kroft in the late 60s; a jeweler with her own store in Chicago named The Smithery in the 70s; a writer of short stories, one play, and two books in the 80s; and a painter in the 90s. Throughout her life, her creativity also manifested in her love of crafts, including soap-making & card-making, and numerous other projects/explorations. While Gayle’s vibrant personality goes hand-in-hand with her creative pursuits, her athleticism may come as a surprise – she was a ballet dancer in middle school, a horseback rider and competitive swimmer in high school, and an avid skier in Colorado.

Gayle was also a generous, caring, compassionate person. She was quick to support her friends with a listening ear and to brainstorm strategies for navigating life’s stressors (and sometimes plans for innocuous revenge on mean people). An innate community builder, she included people in holiday dinners/plans who were unable to go home for the holidays. Another example of Gayle’s caring nature is when she became primary caregiver for her mother Christine after Gayle’s father died, fulfilling a deathbed commitment to never return Christine to a long-term care facility. Gayle also had a deep love of animals, having had pets her entire adult life, and was especially fond of greyhounds and cats.

Determination is also chief among Gayle’s qualities, and her determination served her well in her triumphs and her struggles. Gayle persevered through many challenges. She survived divorce and being an impoverished single mother in a small town in the 70s; she returned to college at 37 (straight A’s in math! Bizarre!) and held many part time jobs simultaneously while going to school full-time. Her health struggles could not keep her down - she returned to teaching after her first two strokes in 2001, and she nearly always conquered rehab and therapy after numerous hospitalizations and knee replacements following her 3rd stroke. Through determination, Gayle also helmed the unusual. For example, though poor in Colorado in the 70s, Gayle saved enough money to take herself and her son to Europe for 7 weeks on $10 a day in January & February (the cheapest possible months), and in 2008, despite having had two strokes, she drove across the country and back on “The Roseline Tour” to catch up with old friends and see the US again. Gayle never stopped wanting to see, do, and enjoy life, and she always wanted to share life with friends and family.

Gayle’s funeral will be Saturday, November 16th at noon at the Episcopal Church of All Saints in Indianapolis, and a wake will follow in the Oxford Room at The Aristocrat from 2-4pm; all are welcome. 

Gayle is survived by her immediate family, which includes her son, Frank M Smith IV, and her son-in-law Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale; her brother Andrew Clark and sister-in-law Pat Clark; and by her niece Michelle Clark. She is also survived by extended family, her loving friends, who are wonderful and too numerable to list, and her loving parish, the Episcopal Church of All Saints. Gayle ashes will be buried in the Memorial Garden at the Episcopal Church of All Saints. 

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Adopt a Greyhound Atlanta, Inc, at https://greyhounds2.org/donations/