Elizabeth Ann Getzoff Smith

Elizabeth “Liz” Ann Getzoff Smith passed away on August 26, 2025 at 96 years.

Liz was born in Morristown, NJ, in 1929 to Benjamin Getzoff and Blanche Robinson Getzoff. She was the second of four siblings, Joan, David and Mary Karyl.

Her father owned a grocery store and an inn in Morristown. Her mother was a school teacher from Poughkeepsie, NY. Liz was a good student starting at an early age and was accepted into Wellesley College in 1946. While there, she met Worth Smith from Montana when he was at Yale, and they married following their graduations in 1950.

After several moves due to Worth’s recall into the Army, they ended up upon his discharge in Minneapolis, where Worth pursued a graduate degree, and where Rob was born in 1953. Worth started working for the Great Northern Railroad while Liz raised the family. As Worth’s career advanced and required different work locations, the family moved and grew. Scott was born in Vancouver, BC in 1956 and Nancy was born in Duluth, MN in 1959. Liz became adept at moving every two years, efficiently house hunting in new communities, remodeling kitchens, finding new doctors, and enrolling her kids in schools.

Liz also found time in every community where they lived to join groups and volunteer with school parent boards, Junior League, Great Books, and tennis clubs. Later in life, she got a master’s degree in reading instruction and spent 12 years helping underprivileged kids in inner city Chicago learn to read and appreciate books as she did. She became a district coordinator for the Chicago Foundation for Education. While living in Bozeman, MT, she and Worth became avid supporters of land and park protection groups in the Yellowstone area, and Liz was also involved with Emily’s List and the League of Women Voters. When they moved to Bainbridge Island, Liz was active with the Washington Women’s Foundation and Bainbridge Arts and Crafts. Wherever they lived, they appreciated and supported the arts..

Liz was an avid reader, preferring novels and especially enjoying murder mysteries. She loved to travel and, with Worth, took the family on annual family vacations to parks, the ocean, and to see relatives. She was always around for her kids, whether it was helping with backyard carnivals, coming to school events, driving to lessons, or during a walk in South Dakota’s Black Hills, prepared to defend her offspring with a water cooler when confronted with a mountain goat on the trail.

She enjoyed laughing and socializing; she was a great listener for stories and adventures from her children and grandchildren. After Worth retired, they went all over the world to explore. Her passports included stamps from at least 21 countries.

Liz played tennis, paddle tennis, and golf, and was an eager walker and hiker, no matter where they lived and travelled. She closely followed the news and always wanted to talk about politics and important events. Even in her 90s and less able to get around on her own, she loved going to see parks, events, the farmers market or whatever else was going on.

Elizabeth died peacefully at home on Bainbridge Island with family present. Ever the gracious host, among her last words were “thanks for coming,” delivered with a beaming smile. She was preceded in death by her son Scott in 2007 and husband Worth earlier this year, and leaves behind son Rob (Joni Bosh), daughter Nancy Klos (Ken Klos), daughter in law Gale Farnsworth Smith (Tom Wells), and grandchildren Sean Smith (Jessica Acuna), Frank Smith (Alyssa Smith), Carl Smith and Anna Klos (Suz Evans). Her ashes will be scattered with Worth’s in the Yellowstone country, a place they both deeply loved and visited often.