Lucille Smith Obituary

Long time Durango resident Lucille L. Smith passed away on June 8, 2015 in Albuquerque NM. She was 90.

Lucille was born 9-21-1924 to Frank and Blanch Royce at Arriola, CO. At the age of three the family moved onto her parent's farm at the corner of Rd M & Rd 22 in Beulah near Cortez, Colorado. She attended school through the 8th grade in the one room school at Beulah with her three brothers and two sisters. She developed a love for swimming and would often have to bribe her sister Verla to go with her because the kids could not swim in the irrigation ditch alone.

Lucille graduated from Cortez HS and attended her freshman year at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

World War II called and Lucille joined the "Rosie the Riveter" ranks making airplane parts for Rohr Aircraft in Chula Vista, CA. She later moved back to Colorado working in the 10th Mountain Division Provost Marshal's office in the newly created Camp Hale. Lucille transferred with the Provost Marshal to Hill Field, UT where she remained until the end of the war.

Lucille moved to Durango in 1945 working for the Department of Defense assisting returning Veterans find employment. She married Allan "Smitty" Smith June 16, 1946 and in January 1948 their son Royce Allan was born. In 1954 Lucille went to work for Burns Bank as a teller. Over the next 34 years she worked her way through numerous positions retiring from Burns in 1988 as a vice president.

Lucille remained very active in the community well after her retirement. She could often be found playing cards at the Durango Senior Center and held officer positions in numerous service organizations including Sewing club, Neo Delphian, Women in Banking, and the Democratic Committee.

Lucille lived life to the fullest taking trips to Alaska, the USSR before the fall of communism, and numerous cruses. In 1978 she and Smitty bought their little slice of heaven on earth at Electra Lake. The family has great memories of catching fish and making homemade biscuits for breakfast, riding motorcycle, putting together 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles, waterskiing and there was even an encounter with a bear once.

Lucille will be truly missed by her loving family. She is survived by her son Royce Smith and Daughter-in-law Joanne of Albuquerque NM; Grandson Jim Smith and wife Marianne of Parker, Co; Granddaughter Ilah (Smith) Jackson and her husband Calvin of Colorado Springs, CO; Great-granddaughter Erin Smith and fiancé Cole Vollenweider of Parker; and Great-grandson Garrett Jackson of Colorado Springs, CO.