Jane Smiley
Marriages
C, Phillip Smiley
Obituaries
Chicago Tribune
Margaret Jane Smiley, nee Alvis, age 66, of Edwards, CO, died August 27, 2002 of breast cancer. She was a homemaker, a photographer, and a world traveller, a member of Pi Beta Phi, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, Vail Valley Foundation, and Shrine Mountain Dollies. She attended Broad Ripple High School, DePaw University and Katherine Gibbs Secretarial, NY. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions to Vail Valley Hospice, P.O. Box 40,000, Vail, CO 81658 or Shaw Regional Cancer Center, P.O. Box 40,000, Vail, CO 81658. Memorial service Sept. 19, 2002, at Beaver Creek Chapel, Beaver Creek, CO, at 10 a.m., and Oct. 6, 2002 at St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 2335 N. Orchard, Chicago, IL at 4 p.m. Survivors include husband Charles Philip Smiley; children, David (Rachel) Smiley, Allison (David) Jeffery and Charles (Barbara) Smiley; brothers David (Patricia) Alvis, M.D. and James (Judy) Alvis; four grandchildren.
Vail Daily page A5 - September 3, 2002
She was a beacon for many
Jane Smiley dies after battling cancer for years.
With camera in hand, Jane smiley constantly recorded the smiles of her friends in photos, but it was her own smile and contagious joy for living that will be etched in the hears of her family, friends and those whose lives she touched. Jane Smiley died Tuesday, Aug. 27 at her Arrowhead home after a long battle against breast cancer. She was 66.
A memorial service is set for Sept. 19, at the Beaver Creek Chapel, with the Rev. Brooks Keith officiating. A memorial service is also planned in Chicago in October.
"Jane was a marvelous example in supporting the education and treatment for breast cancer, says Betty Ford, who counts Jane and her husband, Phil, as good friends for many years. "It was always a joy to run into Jane with her happy smile and positive attitude. Her own long and determined struggle against cancer was an inspiration to everyone. She is greatly missed."
For several years, Smiley, along with Ford, Annegret Kramer and other survivors shared the runway as breast cancer survivor models during the annual Breast Cancer Awareness fund-raising luncheons.
When Kramer was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago, Smiley helped her work through the fears one faces when confronted with cancer treatment.
"Jane was my angel. She supported me, made time for me, always gave me courage and was always there for me," Kramer says. "In life you're meant to meet certain people, and Jane was that special person for me. She was my role model and idol. She was so much fun, and I will cherish the memories of our times together. I've lost a great friend."
John Giovando, executive director founder of the Bravo! Festival, remember Smiley as a dear friend who always brought integrity and a positive attitude in her position as a board member of that organization. Sometimes when the tensions would escalate during a meeting, Giovando says, she would immediately bring the focus back to the music--and a sense of harmony and unity. Her reaction was to remain centered and bring back the calm.
"That same caring seemed to spill over into the community," says Giovando, who one could never think about Smiley without remembering that smile and laughing eyes. "Jane approached death the same way she approached life, with courage, integrity, honesty and harmony. What a glorious way for all humans to live. Think what life would be like if we lived our lives and reacted the way Jane always did, with a positive attitude that diffuses differences, replacing the negative with harmony and balance."
A refusal to dwell on life's negatives became a Smiley trademark. It's a lesson she taught others by example.
Jane remained positive, even during the most severe times of her illness," remembers Allie Coppeak, director of development for the Vail Valley Foundation. "Knowing her all the years that I did, every time I looked at her, she was an inspiration to me, as well as to every man and woman she came into contact with. Her infectious smile and dancing eyes would light up the world. If you ever had a down time, all you had to think about was her, and your own problems disappear.
The Smileys have been staunch supporters of the Vail Valley Foundation for nearly 20 years, Coppeak says. They also stepped into a supportive role of the Vail International Dance Festival since its inception and have been members of the Friends of Vail since 1986.
"The Vail Valley Foundation is better place for having Jane and her husband, Phil, a part of it, and for being able to share her passion for life over the years," Coppeak says.
Five local women--Marcia Armstead, Jean Dennison, Roberta Boyd, Pat Hammon and Liz Thompson--recently walked 50 miles from Boulder to Denver as a part of the Avon 3 day Breast Cancer Walk in honor of Smiley.
The team raised more than $30,000 toward breast cancer research. Photos of Smiley adorned their hats and backpacks while they walked. They spent many miles sharing the story of Smiley's bravery and inspiration with walkers who asked, "Who is the woman with the beautiful smile?"
The five presented the Team Beaver Creek banner they carried across the finish line to Smiley during the closing ceremony. It meant a great deal to Smiley to "be there" for the women who honored her.
"Jane's a beautiful, beautiful woman. We had 33 wonderful years of marriage and packed a lot into our life together," he says. "She created a great family, taking such good care of all of us. It's hard to get over losing her so soon."
Born in Indianapolis, Ind., Feb. 9, 1936, to Edmond and Josephine Alvis, she graduated from Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis. She attend Dapauw University in Green Castle, Ind., and graduated from Katharine Gibbs in New York. She and Phil Smiley were married in Chicago, June 6, 1969, where they lived until they built a second home in Beaver Creek in 1981, and shared time between homes.
An avid photographer and traveler, Smiley kept meticulous albums filled with photos of her many friends and the places she visited. She was a member of Pi Beta Phi and served on the board of the Bravo! Vail Valley music Festival. As a part of the Shrine Mountain Dollies, she and several of her friends enjoyed yearly overnight outings to the mountain cabin at the top of Shrine Pass.
She is survived by her husband, C. Philip Smiley; son David E. Smiley and his wife, Rachel, of Edwards; stepson Charles P. Smiley and his wife, Emma, of Tucson Ariz.; stepdaughter Allison R. Jeffery and her husband, David, of Cincinnati, Ohio; and brothers David Alvis, MD and James Alvis, both of Carmel, Ind.
The family request in lieu of flowers that donations be made in Jane Smiley's memory to Mountain Hospice (attn: Lynn Hoehn) or the Harold W. and Mary Louis Shaw Regional Cancer Center, c/o Vail Valley Medical Center, P.O. Box 40,000, Vail, CO 81658
