Dec. 24, 1932 - July 24, 2008

The lovely Nita L. Smith, 75, of Corvallis, died July 24 after a 13-year battle with breast cancer.

Nita Lee Fitzsimmons was born Dec. 24, 1932, to Edward Lee and Eleanor J. McCulloch Fitzsimmons in Des Moines, Iowa. She later moved to Chicago with her family and graduated from Calumet High School in 1950.

Nita attended Iowa State College (now University) where she studied home economics and joined the Chi Omega sorority. When her family moved to Portland, Nita transferred to Oregon State College (now University), where she met and fell in love with David F. Smith. Nita and Dave were married Oct. 12, 1952, in Portland's Mallory Avenue Christian Church. After stints in Medford and Oakland, they settled in Corvallis in 1954, where Nita worked for Chapman Manufacturing and later was a homemaker. She and Dave had a daughter, Vicky, in 1955 and son, Mark, in 1957. Over the years, Nita worked part time in Dave's State Farm Insurance agency.

Active in the Corvallis community, Nita was a Camp Fire Girls leader, served on the Benton County Election Board, was a past president of PEO Chapter DQ and was involved in the Assistance League of Corvallis. A longtime member of the First Presbyterian Church, she was also an elder, a trustee and a member of the women's association. One of her legacies is the stained glass window in the chapel's Allison Room, a project she managed.

Bit by the travel bug early on, Nita loved to travel. She and Dave visited Spain, Paris, Germany, Austria, Mexico, the Panama Canal, Hawaii, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. But perhaps it was their motor home trips across the United States that really defined retirement and Nita's idea of fun. She loved clamming, crabbing, drift-boating and other outdoor pursuits, as well as good times in Arizona. Always connecting with dear family and friends over a meal, Nita was a gracious hostess, lively conversationalist and the very best friend a person could have.

Much as she loved her friends - and they were very important to her - family came first for Nita. A doting grandmother to Erin, Drew, Palmer and Bennett, she was also a wonderful mother-in-law to Bob and Fran. She was very close to her sister, Nancy, and brother, Jim. When her mother was ill with ALS, Nita was primarily responsible for her care. But it was the many times at the family cabin on the Alsea River with all the Smiths that were Nita's happiest. There she caught fish, baked pies, crocheted her trademark nylon scrubbies and connected with "her people," as she called them.

She and Dave celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in October 2002 with family and friends in Corvallis.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995, Nita underwent successful treatment. However, the cancer returned, and she fought it vigorously for many years. Over the past few months, chemotherapy was unsuccessful in stopping the cancer growth. She spent the last weeks of her life at home with Dave as her caregiver.

Nita is survived by her husband, Dave, daughter and son-in-law Vicky and Bob Hastings of Portland; son and daughter-in-law Mark and Frannie Smith of Portland; sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Dick Pinkert of Las Vegas; brother and sister-in-law Jim and Judy Fitzsimmons of Phoenix, Ariz.; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Pat and Stan Davis of Tracy, Calif.; brother-in-law and sister-in-law Jerry and Charlotte Smith of McMinnville; four grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She will be remembered for her grace, integrity, smile, sparkling blue eyes, positive outlook, interest in others, practicality and generosity of spirit.

A memorial service is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, at the First Presbyterian Church at Eighth Street and Monroe Avenue in Corvallis. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the Benton Hospice Service, the First Presbyterian Church John and Nancy Dennis Fellowship Hall Building Fund or to the Oregon State PEO Scholarship Fund in care of McHenry Funeral Home, 206 N.W. Fifth St. Corvallis, OR 97330.

Online condolences can be extended to the family at www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.