Mary Roberta Smith

Mary Roberta Smith was born in Denver on September 13, 1936, the daughter of Cyril Hawn and Mary Rausch Hawn, and the sister of Ruth Hawn Kerns. She was named after her mother, and to avoid confusion, she has been called Roberta her whole life. Roberta grew up in the West Washington Park neighborhood of Denver where she attended Lincoln Elementary, Byers Jr. High, South High School, and ultimately graduated from St Francis De Sales High School. She earned a Masters Degree in Nursing from the University of Colorado and worked in hospitals and schools. In 1973 she married Roy Smith in a beautiful ceremony at the Top of Rockies. They spent 52 good years together until she died at age 88 on May 29, 2025. The first 16 years of their marriage were in the Denver metro area. Roy’s job then took them to the Washington, DC suburbs. They retired in 1998, and moved back to Aurora, Colorado in 2006 and then to Windcrest in Highlands Ranch in 2021.

Roberta was an accomplished tennis player in high school, and she enjoyed hiking, reading, playing Bridge, dancing, movies, music, theater, and traveling. Roberta would take her nieces and nephew on trips to exciting places when they were young including San Francisco, Yellowstone, Los Angeles, Mount Rushmore, and other National parks. Roberta and Roy had great adventures traveling all over the world, and most of the travel was done after they retired. They enjoyed many Cruises, shared trips with family and friends, and visited every continent except Antarctica.

Roberta hosted many memorable gatherings at her home for family and friends, and every event included an array of delicious foods, games, walks, and laughter. She enjoyed the beauty of nature and loved her cats and her family’s pets over the years.

Roberta is survived by her husband Roy, two nieces Valerie and Karen Kerns, a nephew Brett Kerns, and two great nieces Heather Maccalous and Moira Gwyn. Roy and Roberta did not have any children.