Jean C. Smith

Jean C Smith, 92 years, passed peacefully on the evening of November 28, 2025, at the Life Care Center of Aurora, Colorado. She was made comfortable by the compassionate palliative care team from Berkely Hospice and the dedicated nursing staff. 

Jean was born on February 21, 1933, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to the late Laverne and Mary Clapp. She grew up alongside her sister, Margorie, and graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1950. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Chemistry from Kalamazoo College in 1954. That same year she married the late Arthur W. Smith, and together they moved to Denver, Colorado, to begin their family, sharing 49 years of marriage. 

During the 1960s, Jean was active in the Fair Housing Movement through the United Methodist Church. In 1969, she and Art joined the staff of the Ecumenical Institute/Institute of Cultural Affairs, working in underserved communities to foster locally led social and economic development. Their work took them around the world, including extended periods in Vogar, Manitoba, Canada, and Nairobi, Kenya, Africa, where they helped establish community development initiatives. They returned to Denver in 1992. 

In 1995, Jean organized the steering committee and volunteer efforts to map roadless areas on the Pike–San Isabel National Forest. This project grew into Wild Connections, where she served for many years as Executive Director and Board Chair. Under her leadership, Wild Connections has now celebrated 30 years of protecting the lands and waters of central Colorado. 

Jean loved camping throughout the United States and Africa and was an avid birdwatcher who participated each year in Cornell Ornithology’s “Great Backyard Bird Count.” 

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur W. Smith, and her daughter, Vickie R. Smith. She is survived by her sister, Margorie McManus of Haslett, MI; her sons Michael Smith of Minneapolis, MN, and Patrick Smith (Judy) of Coon Rapids, MN; her daughter Valerie Wainwright (Tom) of Aurora, CO; grandchildren John Wainwright (partner Gloria Rios) and Matthew Wainwright of Aurora, CO; step-grandchildren Jolene Stinson of Eden Prairie, MN; Justin Keller of Otsego MN; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews on both sides of the family. 

Plans for a memorial service are yet to be determined. Gifts in her memory can be directed to Wild Connections or the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.