Heather Ann Smith

Heather passed away in her home, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, on August 7, 2023.
Heather was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to Clarence Smith of Alberta, Canada and Edna Smith of Derry, Ireland. Her parents served in The Royal Canadian Air Force. In search of fairer weather, The Smith family moved first to Culver City, CA and eventually settled in Santa Barbara, CA.
A Santa Barbara girl, Heather attended Harding Elementary School, Adams Elementary School, La Cumbre Junior High School, and San Marcos High School. She graduated from the nursing program at Santa Barbara City College and later became a Nurse Practitioner, after earning her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California at San Francisco. She also held a master's degree in education.
Heather spent all 50 years of her nursing career at Stanford University Medical Center. For decades she worked in the emergency room which served some of the wealthiest and poorest people in the country. As a CRNA Union nurse, she was a persistent and vocal advocate for the improvement of patient and workplace safety. Upon earning her NP degree she worked in oncology at The Stanford Cancer Center. Across all of her nursing assignments and in her private life, Heather was a staunch advocate for human equality. She demanded that dignity belong to each of us.
She loved to travel and has visited most continents. She often travelled off the beaten path, sometimes quite literally on foot, preferring hostels to hotels. She loved being outside-hiking and walking. She walked in several full and half marathons. She hiked and camped along most of the Pacific Coast. Her many adventures including hiking the Inca Trail at Machu Picchu, Peru. She traveled with family, and friends new and old. Heather was a proud environmentalist, believing passionately in one's role as steward of the earth.
Heather is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her loving brother James Smith and his wife Carla Smith (Ventura, CA). Her three daughters; Bobbi (Hailey, ID), Tara (Los Gatos, CA) and Laurel (Santa Barbara, CA). Five doting grandchildren: Brendan, Madeleine, Sean, Hunter, and Fiona. Her cherished niece Hayley Strom (Sparks, NV), and nephew Tyler Smith (Ventura, CA).
Ultimately, Heather's character is reflected in the enduring friendships she nurtured. Among them, her best friend since 10th grade, Roxana Sorenson (Santa Barbara, CA), her Los Banos hiking group "Banos Babes", her UCSF study group, an epic 25-year Book Club, her Saratoga Walking Group, the parents of her children's friends (The Gaggle), her neighbors, and her beloved colleagues in healthcare, many of whom rushed to her side during a devastating pancreatic cancer diagnosis that from beginning to end lasted only a few short months.
Heather is sorely missed.
A memorial service in her honor will be held September 23, 2023 at St. Luke's Episcopal church. Los Gatos, CA; 12:30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to:
Onetreeplanted.org, https://onetreeplanted.org/products/gift-trees?g_acctid=611-028-5007&g_adgroupid=149647359523&g_adid=661183841235&g_adtype=search&g_campaign=One+Tree+Planted+-+Search&g_campaignid=10867721200&g_keyword=tree%20planting%20for%20deceased&g_keywordid=kwd-300991295978&g_network=g&g_type=search_display&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXo3l1pngk0dLYCS8RJloEJJXPomeVLq6mjnPXi0n1N2vF_sssJcpMBoCKDIQAvD_BwE
Center for Science in the Public Interest, https://act.cspinet.org/a/donate-ep?ms=googlead&sourceid=1129207&gclid=CjwKCAjwu4WoBhBkEiwAojNdXjgph4wgYMSt2zw6f1hdSilgVcB4d-KBjbWicU8uAMYVM8ZzhVjeshoCx4EQAvD_BwE
Alaska Wilderness League,
polarbearsinternational.org
Innocence Project of Northern California at Santa Clara University https://mysantaclara.scu.edu/giving/LAW/Innocence