Nancy Smith
3/16/1958-8/10/2020

Always one to believe that you’re never fully dressed without some sparkle, Nancy Smith shimmered her light through the pearly gates of heaven on August 10, 2020 after a brief and aggressive illness. She died peacefully at her home in Petrolia with her husband by her side.

Nancy was born in Fortuna on March 16, 1958 to the late Clarence and Evelyn Wright, becoming a 5th generation Mattole-ian. The wild and willful daughter of bootstrap, outlaw Curly and independent, brave Evelyn, Nancy was a gem from the start. The second-born of four daughters, Nancy attended Mattole Elementary and graduated Ferndale High School. Nancy moved to De Queen, Arkansas in the late ‘80s, working as an EMT and owning a small gift shop. The excitement of Bible Belt tornados and coachwhip snakes aside, eventually something about the Lost Coast breeze and the freedom of Humboldt called her home.

After moving back to the Mattole Valley in the late ‘90s, Nancy and Duane married in April 1999. Soon after, Nancy and Duane started remodeling a home on the property Nancy grew up on, surrounding it in trees and flowers and inviting hummingbirds, ladybugs and butterflies to visit; Living next to her parents was a joy to Nancy’s heart. A poker shark in the Valley, Nancy was simply not to be messed with; It’s only gambling if you lose, and she didn’t… many good memories were made ‘round the card tables Nancy sat at.

A surrogate “aunt” to many children of her friends over the years, Nancy blessed the lives of many kids with her open heart and willingness to love. Like her father before her, Nancy loved a good deal and could be counted on to have a box or two from Home Shopping Network on the way!

Nancy worked for the Mattole Restoration Council and then later the Yellow Rose, providing drinks, sparkly wit, and a sympathetic ear to the locals. Nancy earned the title of Worlds Proudest Aunt when she worked at a gallery in Ferndale selling her nieces jewelry, showing almost every customer which pieces were called the “Nancy”: the glitziest ones in the shop, of course. She ended her time in the workforce at the USPS in Honeydew and Petrolia, meeting a great number of wonderful people and getting to interact with years-old neighbors and friends, her Mattole Valley Family.

Nancy is survived by her loving husband Duane “Shug” Smith, and an adoring trove of friends and family who will miss her sweet nature. Sister Linda Hastings and her husband Mike, Sister Carol Wright, and Sister Jackee Wright and her fiancé Denis Hoffman. Nephew Jason Hastings and his wife Jacquie, and their children Michayla, Jayden, Kaleb and Jerimiah; Nephew Robert Hastings and his wife Laura, and their children Katie and Kameron; Niece Ashley Moody and her husband Caleb, their children Emma, Leah and Silas. Niece Amanda Genzoli, fiancé Dietrich Maurir, and their children DJ and Aubriella.

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