Family, Friends Remember Whitney H. Smith

Family and friends crowded into St. Thomas More Church Friday to celebrate the life of Whitney H. Smith, the Darien woman whose life was cut short two weeks ago by a devastating car accident.

Smith died in the early morning hours of July 11 after the vehicle she was driving in veered off of Hollow Tree Ridge Road, striking two houses. She was 30.

"We come to celebrate our thank you," Father J. Barry Furey told the gathering. "Our thank you for a woman who was bright as a star, whose smile would light up a room, whose creativity is with us—as the apple does not fall far from the tree—in the creativity of the ceremony that we are gathered at today."

The service featured a varied range of music, including traditional hymns, Michael Bublé's "Everything," and a medley of "Somewere Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Smith was born on April 28, 1980 in Newport Beach, Calif. She was a graduate of the Kent School and received a B.A. in economics and studio art from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

Smith worked as a registered retirement associate at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Purchase, N.Y. and was an accomplished artist, sailor, and traveler, according to her obituary. She was set to be married to her fiancé, Doug Stella of Milford, in September.

Jonathan Hedge, Smith's cousin, delivered a eulogy, describing her as "a curator on so many levels" and fondly recalling their phone conversations together.

"She absorbed and understood the dynamics of the people around her," Hedge said. "Her elegant presence in a room brought about an energy that warmed and comforted those that surrounded her."

"Never afraid to call a spade a spade, she stood firm and would let you know when it's time to realign with reality," he added.

Two of Smith's closest friends, Erin Williams and Lisa Werdeman Lucas, also offered a series of reflections on their time together.

"She was kind and funny, artsy and kooky. She put aside her own problems to help you with yours," said Lucas.

"Her father said it best when he said, 'We got a good one,'" she added.

"Those who knew her best knew the funny side of Whitney," Williams said. "She was in a word: hilarious. Her exaggerated voice when she told a story, her faces, her side comments that would make you spit up your morning coffee on your laptop when she calls you every Friday morning to check in."

"Her jovial take on life—not taking things to seriously—in this age was refreshing," Williams continued.

She is survived by her parents, Christopher H. and Julienne D. Smith of Darien; her sister, Finley Smith of Darien; her fiancé; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Holy Cross Fund, College of the Holy Cross, P. O. Box DEV, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610.