Gayle Thomas Smith

St. George, Utah- Gayle Thomas Smith, 86, passed peacefully on to her next mission on Friday, April 14, 2023. Gayle burst into mortality January 14, 1937, in Detroit, Michigan, to James Thomas (“J.T.”) and Anne Moreland Smith.

Gayle graduated from Cranbrook Kingswood School, where she earned championship awards in Tennis, basketball, Badminton & field hockey.

Gayle went on to obtain degrees from Albion College (BA Elementary Education; Psychology) in Michigan, Brigham Young University (MaEd Elementary Curriculum and instruction; Guidance Counseling) in Utah, and from Southern Virginia University (BA Early childhood Education; Music) in Virginia. She also graduated from Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in Boston, Massachusettes, then she earned a Real Estate license in Michigan.

Gayle loved learning about anything. Her curiosity led her to inquire about the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. At age 25, she discovered, loved, and eagerly committed to baptism into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She remained a faithful member for the rest of her life, serving missions for the church in the Netherlands, Germany, Texas, and in St. George, Ut at the LDS Institute of Religion. Additionally, she served as a volunteer English teacher in China for two years through a program at BYU.

Her love of music and singing led her to sing and compete for over 20 years with the “Spirit of Detroit” chapter of the international women’s barbershop group, Sweet Adelines. She was an avid golfer who enjoyed playing up until her mid 80’s. She loved playing cards, doing puzzles, clean comedy, live music, eating Cheetos, and making others laugh. Her keen sense of humor made her both a great host and stage performer on occasion.

She will be remembered as a faithful disciple of Christ, a wonderful teacher, a generous advocate of education and the arts, and for her humorous antics and adventurous spirit. She is survived by her nieces, Karen and Lindsey O’Rourke, (of Michigan) and her “adopted families” Mike & Marcia Smith (of St. George, Utah) and Jason & Mindi Barker (of St. George, Ut).

In lieu of flowers, please donate in her name to Southern Virginia University. SVU.edu/give

Click this link to view additional details about Gayle's Services: https://my.gather.app/remember/gail-smith-2023