Evelyn Marie Smith

Evelyn M. Smith passed away Friday, April 3, 2026 in Thornton, CO.

She was born March 7, 1935 at Baylor Hospital, Dallas, to Stella Irene (Worley) Tuley and Howard Raeford Tuley.

The family briefly lived in west Texas before settling in Lancaster, just southeast of downtown Dallas, where Evelyn worked as a soda jerk and played softball and basketball before graduating Lancaster High School in 1953.

Following high school, Evelyn worked as a clerk for the Dallas County Tax office then over to International Harvester as a title clerk where she ordered, titled, and delivered work vehicles. This position helped to fuel her love for driving.

In September of 1963 she married Capt. Kenny Smith, US Air Force, and they started their married life in Douglas, Wyoming, near where Kenny was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force base. It was in Douglas that Evelyn was introduced to, and developed, a lifelong passion for golf.

In 1965 Kenny was transferred to Wheeler Air Force base in Honolulu, HI, and there they welcomed daughter, Tracey, in 1966. Evelyn made the most of island living by sightseeing and playing plenty of golf.

When Kenny retired from the Air Force in 1968, the small family moved back to Duncanville, TX, where they welcomed son, Marcus, in 1970.

Late 1972 brought a work layoff for Kenny. Almost immediately, he secured an Engineering position with the United States Postal Service in Denver, and Evelyn jumped at the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of living in Colorado. In January 1973 the family moved to Denver where Evelyn chose the Columbine area near Littleton in southwest metro Denver.

By 1977 both children were in school and Evelyn decided to return to the work force by completing Realtor training, eventually earning a Real Estate Broker license and focusing on the area where they lived. She had said she chose Real Estate because it wasn’t a fixed 9 to 5 desk job, and she could more easily keep track of her children… which she did. She briefly owned and operated her own Real Estate company, Cimarron Properties, with a friend for a few years until retirement around 1996.

By the early 1990’s, Evelyn had joined the Colorado Women’s Golf Association as a volunteer and eventually became a rules committee chairwoman and rules officiant for multiple state tournaments of all levels over several years. She was recognized as a Colorado Golf and Colorado Women’s Golf Association volunteer of the year.

She was preceded in death by her parents (Howard in 1981, Stella in 2002) and younger brother, Gerald Wayne Tuley, (2025).

Evelyn is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 62 years, Kenny; daughter, Dr. Tracey Jensen, DVM (Wayne) of Wellington, CO; son, Marcus Smith, of Denver; sister-in-law, Ruth Ann Tuley of Red Oak, TX; several nieces, nephews and extended Texas family; and her beloved Shih Tzu, Charlie.

Viewing will begin at 10:00 am with service at 11:00 am Tuesday, April 21 at Harvey Park Christian Church, 3401 So. Lowell Blvd, Denver. Interment will follow at 1:00 pm at Ft. Logan National Cemetery.