Deborah Kay Smith

May 30, 1953 - Aug. 23, 2025

Deborah Kay Smith was born in Medicine Lake, Mont., on May 30, 1953, to Willis (Don) and Ramona Brien Smith.  Deb lived briefly in Texas and Florida before her dad moved her and her younger brother Andy back to Wyoming about 1956. Deb and Andy lived with their aunt and uncle, Carolyn and Dale Wright, then with their grandparents, Jack and Margaret Douglass, while their dad was overseas in the oil exploration business.  They eventually settled in with their grandparents at the Wagon Wheel restaurant east of Shell until graduating from high school.  Deb learned to cook and bake from her grandma and her ability to engage in conversations with tourists and locals at the restaurant and gas station excelled.  Deb’s aunt Jolene Whaley taught her, Andy, and their cousin Cynthia Whaley how to ski.  They spent many winters skiing at Antelope Butte and took a ski trip to Bozeman. 

Deb and her brother went to school in Shell before attending high school in Greybull. Deb was well known in her high school years for her blue Volkswagen bug and for seeing how many people she could stuff into it before going to the drive-in movie. After high school Deb attended Northwest College in Powell where she met Cyndi Schultz from Pennsylvania and they spent the next 16 years together. Deb graduated from Powell in 1973 with an Associate of Arts.  She attended the University of Wyoming, along with her partner Cyndi, and obtained a bachelor’s in education. Deb taught fifth grade in Basin from 1981 to 1986.  In 1987, Deb went back to UW and earned her master’s in education with a specialty in instructional technology. 

In 1989 Deb accepted a position in Roanoke, Va., where she taught elementary classes, then went on to instruct library media classes.  She also completed her certification to be a principal and filled in as acting school principal when needed. It was in Roanoke that Deb met Darlene Overstreet and they remained partners for the next 34 years. Deb retired from the Roanoke, Va., school district in 2016.  Deb’s next move, along with Darlene, was back to Wyoming where they resided in Basin during the summers and traveled south in the winters. They loved their winters in Arizona, specifically at a trailer court in Parker.  Deb naturally made many friends and joined in the activities of shuffleboard, bingo, cards, and potlucks. 

Deb lost her brother Andy in February 2020, then her partner Darlene in November 2024.  Through these losses, Deb immersed herself in activities such as bingocize, book club, attending GriefShare sessions and learning how to play bridge. Unfortunately, her time was cut short when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in May of this year.  Just before passing Aug. 23, family members visited and reminisced, all the while Deb chimed in occasionally with her sense of humor.  

Deb was preceded in death by her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousin Brad, her brother, and her partner. 

She is survived by her sister-in-law Kathy Smith-Stephens and husband Mark; niece Kristy Michaels and husband Brady, their children Emily Smith and fiancé Spencer Kestner, and Cayden Michaels; nephew Ryan Smith and wife Aly, and their children Beckett and Lincoln; and nephew Derek and his wife Jackee and their daughter Sterling, special cousins Cynthia, Paul, Jack; many numerous cousins; and her cat “Toots.” 

At Deb’s request, there is no service planned. The family will have a memorial gathering at a later date.