Zina Marie Smilie
Marriages
Kenneth Smilie
Obituaries
Daily Sentinel page 3D - December 29, 2019
Zina Marie Smilie passed
December 3, 2019, after a
lengthy illness and she has
moved into “Higher Ground.”
She was born in Denver,
Colorado, and lived in Glenwood
Springs during her early years,
then in Gunnison, Colorado,
where she attended her third
grade class year as a member
of an observation class of the
Western State College.
In 1961 she moved to Cedaredge, Colorado, later to Glenwood
Springs, and then to Grand Junction. In high school she was
honored to be a part of the All-State Orchestra and traveled to
several special performances. She graduated from high school in
1971 and received a scholarship to Mesa College. After graduation
she worked at the American Baptist Convention Center in Green
Lake, Wisconsin.There she met a Scotsman and they traveled in
Scotland and Europe during the winter. In the summer of 1973,
while enrolled in Colorado Mountain College, she was involved
with an Exchange Student project in Mexico.
In the fall, while enrolled in Mesa State College, she suffered
from a cancerous growth on her Hypothalamus gland located on
the top portion of her spinal column. These were the days before
MRIs in Grand Junction, so after preliminary operations she was
airlifted to Denver, where the only CAT scan in Colorado was at
the time. They were able to remove some of the cancerous growth
and after completing seven weeks of radiation therapy, she was able
to return to Grand Junction and complete her Mesa College studies
and an AS Degree. Because of these operations and later radiation,
she was informed she might develop balance problems later in life
and would not be able to conceive.
She entered Colorado State University and graduated with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Home Economics. Returning to Grand
Junction, she entered the Real Estate field with Mountain Realty.
During this time she did considerable volunteer work, including at
Grand Mesa Christian Association and in Alaska with the Christian
Camping on Woody Island near Kodiak, AK. She often volunteered
and taught craft projects in nursing homes located about the Grand
Valley. It was during this time that she met Kenneth Smilie. They
were married in 1981 and lived in Collbran, Colorado, for over 35
years.
She was an active member of the Molina Baptist Church. Zina was
employed at the Collbran Job Corps as a clerk in their Commissary
for many years. As time progressed she developed difficulty with
balance and the use of her arms. A serious fall sent her to St. Mary’s
Hospital in Grand Junction, and eventually to Palisade Living
Center and Aspen Ridge Living Center, Grand Junction. While
there she, sometimes, could help some of the residents cope with
the situations they found challenging.
She leaves behind her husband, Kenneth Smilie, of Collbran, CO,
and her father, Richard Elliott, of Grand Junction, Colorado. Her
mother, Vonnie Elliott, passed away in 2003, and her Coast Guard
brother, Mark Elliott, died in 1984.
A memorial service will be Friday, January 3, 2020, at 2:00 p.m.
at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
