Jeffery K. Smith, passed away on December 30, 2025, in Portland, Oregon after an accident and brief hospitalization, surrounded by his family. He was seventy-seven years old.
Jeff spent his early years in Catonsville, a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, before his family moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area in 1964. He attended Charles F. Brush High School in South Euclid, Ohio, where he distinguished himself academically and formed friendships that would endure throughout his life.
Jeff attended Duke University from 1970 to 1974, earning his undergraduate degree in English Literature. His college years were marked by both intellectual curiosity and steady independence—summers spent working at Republic Steel in Cleveland, long drives between Ohio and North Carolina, and a junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland that left a lasting impression. He went on to earn a master's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin.
Jeff built a distinguished career in academic and professional publishing, beginning at Harper & Row and continuing with Wolters Kluwer, where he spent 28 years in progressively senior leadership roles. His career culminated in serving as President of Kluwer Academic Publishers in The Hague, the Netherlands, and later as Chief Executive Officer of Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins in Philadelphia. His work reflected a lifelong commitment to leadership and international relationships, which took him across the United States and abroad, including two extended periods living in The Netherlands.
After leaving publishing, Jeff spent more than 20 years as an investment banker with Berkery Noyes & Company in New York City, advising on mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical technology sectors.
Outside of his professional life, Jeff's lifelong love of fishing began during summer vacations along the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York and remained a constant throughout his life. He found quiet satisfaction fishing trout rivers and lakes across New England and, in later years, seeking out salmon and steelhead in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
Jeff is survived by his devoted wife, Miffy, his three adult children, Gwynneth, Colin, and Doug, and beloved grandchildren Charlotte, Leila, and Kian. He will be remembered as a devoted husband and father, a generous mentor, and a thoughtful presence whose intellect, curiosity, and steadiness left a lasting impression on those who knew him.
Details regarding memorial services will be shared by the family at a later date.
Jeff spent his early years in Catonsville, a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland, before his family moved to the Cleveland, Ohio area in 1964. He attended Charles F. Brush High School in South Euclid, Ohio, where he distinguished himself academically and formed friendships that would endure throughout his life.
Jeff attended Duke University from 1970 to 1974, earning his undergraduate degree in English Literature. His college years were marked by both intellectual curiosity and steady independence—summers spent working at Republic Steel in Cleveland, long drives between Ohio and North Carolina, and a junior year abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland that left a lasting impression. He went on to earn a master's degree in English from the University of Wisconsin.
Jeff built a distinguished career in academic and professional publishing, beginning at Harper & Row and continuing with Wolters Kluwer, where he spent 28 years in progressively senior leadership roles. His career culminated in serving as President of Kluwer Academic Publishers in The Hague, the Netherlands, and later as Chief Executive Officer of Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins in Philadelphia. His work reflected a lifelong commitment to leadership and international relationships, which took him across the United States and abroad, including two extended periods living in The Netherlands.
After leaving publishing, Jeff spent more than 20 years as an investment banker with Berkery Noyes & Company in New York City, advising on mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical technology sectors.
Outside of his professional life, Jeff's lifelong love of fishing began during summer vacations along the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York and remained a constant throughout his life. He found quiet satisfaction fishing trout rivers and lakes across New England and, in later years, seeking out salmon and steelhead in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest.
Jeff is survived by his devoted wife, Miffy, his three adult children, Gwynneth, Colin, and Doug, and beloved grandchildren Charlotte, Leila, and Kian. He will be remembered as a devoted husband and father, a generous mentor, and a thoughtful presence whose intellect, curiosity, and steadiness left a lasting impression on those who knew him.
Details regarding memorial services will be shared by the family at a later date.
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