Donna Arlene Smith

How do you summarize the life of your family's matriarch?
I don't think you do.
You feel it. You remember it. You carry it forward.
Donna Arlene Smith (James), born December 5, 1934, in Pocatello, Idaho, was never just a list of titles or dates. She was more than a daughter, a sister to three brothers, more than a wife to her beloved husband, Chuck, whom she married in 1954 and shared 54 years of marriage with. She was more than a mother of four (Diane, Janell, Bryan, and Corinne), a grandmother to five, a great-grandmother to ten, an aunt to many, and a friend to countless others.
She was the steady center, the quiet strength, the gentle glue that held us all together.
Christmas Eve 2025 would be the last time we gathered as one loud, overflowing family. The house was full, the air warm, voices layered over one another. A big family that saw each other often. A blessing amongst a chaos we never questioned. Oh, what we would give for one more of those moments.
As my Grandma sat in a chair, her hands gently crossed over her stomach, bright red lipstick perfectly in place, she was glowing, not from the room, but from the life she had built and the love surrounding her. She was nestled within the family she created, the living proof of a life rooted in love. We were all there for her, to celebrate her. Her children and their spouses, grandchildren with their own partners, and great-grandchildren all moved through the space she created. The laughter. The overlapping conversations. The noise she somehow loved so much. And yet, when it was your turn with her, she made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. Fully seen. Fully loved.
Kind. Sweet. Silly. Sassy.
Those words fit, but they don't come close to telling the whole story.
She was our safe place. A shoulder to cry on. A lap to nap on. A steady hand to hold when the world felt heavy. She was always ready for one more cup of coffee, one more late night, one more story. There were always sweet treats nearby, just in case someone needed a little comfort. Her joy was easy, her love unconditional. And her giggle, soft and building until it became laughter, was one of the purest sounds we were lucky enough to hear.
On January 8, 2026, Grandma passed away the same way she lived, surrounded by the family she loved so fiercely. The voices were softer this time, the room quieter, but the love was just as full. She was not alone. She was held, cherished, and wrapped in the presence of the very people she spent her life caring for.
Now the gatherings will change. They will be smaller, quieter, and less frequent. The family as we knew it will never look quite the same again. But love like hers does not disappear. It multiplies. It echoes. It roots itself deeply in the generations that follow.
Her legacy lives on in ten great-grandchildren who carry her warmth, her laughter, and her kindness forward. It lives on in the stories we will keep telling, in the traditions we will protect, and in the way we show up for one another, just as she always did.
And so this is not goodbye.
It is a thank you.
For the love. For the laughter. For the life you built and the family you held together so beautifully. We will miss you in every gathering, in every quiet moment, in every cup of coffee shared without you. We will honor you by loving the way you taught us to: fully, fiercely, and without hesitation.
If you are interested in celebrating the life and love of Donna Smith, her family invites you to join them on Sunday, January 25th, at 1:00 p.m. at the Aerie at Eagle's Landing, 10220 SE Causey Ave., Happy Valley, OR 97086