Linda Ruth Smith

1936 - 2023

Linda Ruth Smith, 87, of Napa Valley, California, died on November 30, 2023, with her daughter Sharon by her side. She was born to Raymond & Ruth Clark in 1936 in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Coldwater High School in 1954. She was first married to R. Leroy Wagner and then to Edward L. Smith until he passed in 1978. She is survived by a brother, Stuart Michael Clark in Canton, Ohio (Linda) and by three daughters: Janet Batchelder of Weeki Wachee, FL (Matthew Deichsel), Sharon Enlowsmith of San Francisco, CA (Hilary Ware), and Laura Keiser of Bushwood, MD (Tracey). Her grandchildren include Rachel Pehrson (John) as well as Kennedy, Chase, and Chandler Enlowsmith and Nicholas, Eva, and Theo Kosanovich-Ware. She is also survived by one great-granddaughter, Piper Pehrson.

Linda began as a secretary before gaining top-secret clearance on a project for the Navy at General Electric in the '60s. She met Edward Smith, an aerospace engineer at General Electric. They moved to Toronto and finally settled in California, Maryland. Linda was a part-time Home Economics teacher and permanent full-time substitute at Chopticon High School for 15 years. She was also Chopticon's scout for the field hockey team and was very proud of this role. Linda later found a position at Anheuser-Busch, Guy Distributing, where she stayed for over 17 years before retiring. When she moved to Napa upon her retirement, she worked happily in wine tasting rooms for several years.

One of her most active interests was her dogs. A dedicated member of the American Kennel Club, she had a kennel where she raised, bred, and showed dachshunds. Later in life, Linda also loved her cats. Her other interest was football. Linda first bought season tickets for the Redskins in 1979, and within a few years was following the NFL draft. Linda held onto those tickets with intensity and enthusiasm until the late 90s. Linda was gregarious and social and loved making friends. She lived for 20 years in OakTree Vineyards in Napa, where she organized numerous social events. She headed the Welcome Committee and led exercise classes for over eleven years, stopping only recently.

There will be a Celebration of Life service and Reception for Linda at OakTree Vineyard on Saturday, January 6, 2024, from 1:00-4:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the SPCA or to the Napa Humane Society.