Heidi Smith

When reflecting on the life of Heidi Smith, it is easy to see that her heart beat to love and serve others. She was always looking for ways that she could go above and beyond in ways both great and small. Heidi was blessed to share much of her life with her true love, and together they witnessed their family tree blossom to include the children they both treasured. She was all about family, and she had a way of making even the ordinary days extraordinary. Even when engaged in the fight for her life, Heidi faced whatever came her way with both a quiet strength and a graceful courage that were truly inspiring. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

The decade that we often recall as the Nifty Fifties was an exciting time in America. Televisions were growing in popularity, and by the end of the decade nearly every home had one. Blue jeans, saddle shoes, and rock ’n roll colored our cultural fabric, and by the end of the decade the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was well underway. It was just as this decade was dawning that Dr Carl and Viva Williams were pleased to announce the birth of the baby girl they named Heidi Margaret on October 11, 1950. She was born in Coral Gables, Florida, and raised in the Miami area, alongside of her four siblings, Thomas, Louise, Daniel, and Carl. Her father worked as a psychology professor at the University of Miami while her mother was a elementary school teacher. As a student, Heidi attended local schools. She played the clarinet in the high school band and also took a high school trip to Peru.

New and exciting changes were in store for Heidi when she met the young man of her dreams. His name was Dale Smith, and they met at Oakland University in 1969 where they were both students. Sparks flew almost immediately, and they began dating. It wasn’t long before they found themselves deeply in love. With a desire to establish a life together, Heidi and Dale were married on August 11, 1973.

While she and Dale were dating, she continued working towards her degree. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Oakland University in 1972, and she later earned her Bachelor of Computer Science from Oakland University in 1995. Heidi worked as a computer programmer at Computer Peripherals in Rochester, Michigan, for Burroughs in Plymouth, Michigan, for Ford Tractor Corp in Romeo, Michigan, and for Ford Credit Corp in Dearborn, Michigan.

Although she enjoyed her work, Heidi’s family was always first and foremost in her life. She and Dale were thrilled to welcome two children, Becky in 1980 and Brian in 1981, into their hearts and home. When her first child was born, Heidi left the workforce to focus her attention on her family and her home. She loved being with her family, especially for family gatherings like for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There were also fun-filled family trips to Indian River, Michigan, to visit the “Ark.” Some of the Smith family’s favorite memories were also made on many trips to Colorado where they went hiking in the Rocky Mountains. It was quite a sight to see Heidi fend off a fierce mountain goat while hiking there! After 16 years, she resumed her career and began saving her income towards her children's future college education.

In her free time, Heidi was one to keep busy. She enjoyed quilting, working on crosswords and various puzzle books, and contributing to the Ford “Wall Pictures” Story. She loved baking cookies in sometime excessive quantities. As her family and friends can attest, Heidi also kept busy making spreadsheets as she had one for nearly every purpose one can imagine! She loved “Moon River” and classical music as well as Stargate SG1, a variety of cooking shows, and Dragonriders of Pern books. One of Heidi’s favorite pastimes was spoiling others. She always went over and above, too, especially when it came to donating to a couple of foster kids through the Ford Christmas. Heidi always followed their wish list and then got them several extras, too. Heidi never said "No" when asked if she was willing to volunteer for an extra procedure to support cancer research. During her battle she volunteered eleven times." Eleven is a good number.”

All who knew Heidi Smith would agree that she was beautiful on the inside and out. She was intelligent, fair, honest, and humble with a spirit of generosity that was unmatched. Although she accomplished numerous things of which to be proud, she was a humble and gracious person whose greatest source of pride and joy was the family she cherished. Life will never be the same without Heidi here, but she leaves behind a priceless collection of memories that will be forever treasured by all who were blessed to know and love her.

Heidi Margaret Smith died on August 6, 2015. Heidi’s family includes her husband, Dale; children, Rebecca (Dean) Hardwick and Brian (Sandra) Smith; siblings, Thomas (Deborah) Williams, Louise Williams, Daniel (Sandy) Williams, and Carl (Kris Kimble) Williams. Family will receive friends Monday 6-9 p.m. at Neely-Turowski Life Story Funeral Home 45100 Warren Road (between Sheldon and Canton Center Rd). There will be no formal funeral service. Please join us for the visitation. In lieu of flowers, family suggests donations to breast cancer research of your choice.