Elsa Marie Smith

1943 - 2026

Elsa Marie Smith

1943 ~ 2026

Marie Smith, 82, of Murray, Utah died on January 30, 2026. She was born August 14, 1943 to James Raymond and Estella Anderton Smith in Richfield, Utah, the oldest of seven children born to her parents. She grew up in Murray, Utah, and graduated from Murray High School in 1961. She attended BYU and later Westminster College, where she earned a BS in Business Administration and Economics in 1984.

In her early career, she worked as a legal secretary, and was employed by Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. for 16 years. In 1984, she became the second person in Utah to become a Certified Legal Assistant. The following year, she was the co-founder of the Professional Legal Assistants organization, which grew to a membership of some 1,000 members nationally.

Marie lived in Murray most of her life. She was very active in her church; in addition to numerous ward positions, she served as a secretary/receptionist for the Stake Presidency and High Council for sixteen years. She also served as secretary to the Stake Relief Society presidency, Marie served as a Temple Worker in both the Jordan River and Taylorsville Temples.

Marie loved to travel, and took numerous trips with her parents and family members. These included cruises to Mexico, the Panama Canal and Alaska. She took several trips to Hawaii, and visited church history sites in England with her sister Anne. She also visited many domestic church history sites with various family members.

Marie was the primary caregiver for her parents in their later years. While she never had children of her own, she lived a rich life at the heart of our family.

She is survived by her sister, Anne Berky (Roger-deceased), and her five brothers: David Raymond Smith (Penny), Paul James Smith (Yvonne-deceased), Clyde William Smith (Linda), Lee Kay Smith (Eally) and Alan Lynn Smith (Tina). She also had (and loved) numerous nieces and nephews.

Marie was a gracious, generous, kind and accomplished lady who will be missed by many people.

There will be a viewing on Monday, February 9th, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary, at 4760 South State Street in Murray. The funeral service will take place on Tuesday, February 10th at 11:00 a.m. at the Jefferson Ward building at 67 West Clay Park Drive, Murray, with a viewing beforehand at 10:00-10:45 a.m. Interment will follow at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park at 3401 South Highland Drive, Millcreek.

In lieu of flowers, please do a random act of kindness in her honor.

The family would like to thank Aspire Home Healthcare and the staff at Legacy House of South Jordan for their compassionate care for Marie in the last days of her life.