Corinna Carr Smith

Corinna Carr Smith

Dec. 31, 1935 - Jan. 27, 2023

NAPA - Corinna Carr Smith, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and teacher, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 27, 2023, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Corinna was born in Houston, TX, and spent her formative years living in small town West Texas where she and her siblings were homeschooled and endured long stretches without electricity. Corinna took pride in her West Texas upbringing and her mother's ingenuity in creating a vibrant education for her five children using nothing more than a library card. Recognizing Corinna's talents as a student, Corinna's aunt sponsored her to attend boarding school in Massachusetts. As a high school freshman, she traveled by train from Houston to Massachusetts into an entirely different world, surrounded by sophisticated classmates and demanding teachers. She ultimately thrived and became her high school's Student Body President.

Corinna later attended Rice University. She loved her alma mater, whose mascot - the wise owl - she treasured throughout her life. While in college, she met the love of her life, Chadwick Fitzhugh Smith. Corinna and Chad married after graduation and moved to Southern California, where she began working as a teacher and he completed training in Orthopedic Surgery. Thereafter, Chad became a Flight Surgeon at an army hospital near Tokyo, Japan. Corinna and Chad's formative experiences in Japan ignited a lifelong passion for travel and adventure.

After returning from Japan, Corinna and Chad moved to the Palos Verdes Peninsula where they raised five children. Corinna was the backbone and emotional center of this large family. She was also a born educator; she co-founded the Center for Learning Unlimited, where she taught ESL, reading, and history to students with special needs.

Corinna and Chad were dedicated volunteers with several organizations. Corinna was devoted to the Peninsula Committee Children's Hospital and served as President in 1992. Chad and Corinna also treasured their longstanding volunteer relationship with the Valley Orthopedic Clinic in Calexico, CA. Over the course of decades, they traveled to the Clinic on a monthly basis where Chad provided volunteer medical care for children with severe orthopedic problems. Corinna always accompanied Chad on these trips and used her creative talents to paint animal murals on waiting room walls and dress up in costumes to entertain young patients. Their volunteerism and creativity inspires their children and grandchildren to this day.

Chad and Corinna were adventurous travelers and by the end of her life Corinna had visited over 40 countries. They implored their children to travel abroad, learn new languages, and discover new places. Chad and Corinna were also committed hosts to numerous exchange students who benefitted from their generosity and good humor.

Above all, Corinna was an unfailingly devoted wife and mother. Chad Smith was the love of her life. When Chad passed, Corinna moved to the Napa Valley to be closer to her children residing in the Bay Area. She volunteered as a tutor at the Napa Valley Library, served as Deacon at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, and rediscovered her passion for painting through weekly art classes.

Corinna is survived by five children, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.