Jean "Gigi" Age - 95 - Los Alamos Smith

Jean ‘Gigi’ Smith, 95, of Los Alamos, died peacefully on April 9th, surrounded by her family at the Sombrillo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Jean was born in 1916 and raised in Grady, NM. She was one of five children born to the late John and Lida Shaver. All of her siblings preceded her in death. She married Floyd “Chief” Scraper and together they had one daughter, Marilyn. The marriage ended after 2 years and Jean moved to Artesia and took a job at Mountain Bell as a telephone operator. She later met and married James “Rocky” Smith and moved to Alamogordo where she continued her career with the telephone company. Jean retired in 1973 after 30 years of service. Rocky passed away in 1975. In 1979, Jean moved to Roswell with her daughter and her family. Marilyn’s cancer came out of remission in 1986 and Jean dedicated her life to caring for her until she passed away 3 years later. Jean was actively involved with the Pioneers, a lively bunch of retired telephone company employees. She spent many hours working on service-oriented projects, attending luncheons and playing cards or Dominos. She made several long-lasting friendships which she cherished right up to the time of her death. In 1992, Jean became a great-grandma and officially ended her retirement. She relocated to Las Cruces to be closer to her family and to help take care of Danielle. A second great-granddaughter, Michelle, arrived in 1995. She was nicknamed “Gigi” by the kids and was rarely referred to by her given name after that. She used to say, with a smile on her face, that no one even knew her real name. A true pioneer to the end, she made one last trek to Los Alamos when her granddaughter moved in 1997. Fiercely independent, she lived on her own until September of last year when she suffered a serious fall. She was an avid sports fan, particularly football, and would watch just about any sporting event on TV. She enjoyed reading, working crossword puzzles, getting her hair done every Friday, and going to church with her family and having lunch afterwards at The Hill Diner. Her real passion however, was her grandchildren. Being such an integral part of their lives brought her tremendous joy. She is survived by one granddaughter, Sherri (Allen) Sherwood of Los Alamos, one grandson, Steve Lynes of Keller, TX., two great-granddaughters, Danielle and Michelle Frybarger, three nieces, Wanda Ward of Espanola, Gail Leonard of Richardson, TX., and Patricia Schmidt of Lodi, CA, one nephew, Larry Shaver (Annette) of Dallas, Tx. and her son-in-law, Gary Lynes of Los Alamos. Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service on Friday, April 27th, 2012, at 11 am at White Rock Baptist Church, 80 State Road 4, White Rock, NM. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Sombrillo Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 1011 Sombrillo Drive, Los Alamos, NM in honor of their extraordinary care and compassion during the last 3 months of Jean’s life. We will be forever grateful. The family of Jean ‘Gigi’ Smith have entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home & Crematory of the Española Valley. 505-747-7477

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