Marjorie Bradbury Smith

Marjorie Bradbury Smith, 91, of The Neighborhood in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, and recently of Salida, died Sept. 2, 2022, while under the care of University of New Mexico Sandoval Regional Medical Center after a short illness. 

She was born in 1931 in Richmond, Virginia, to Marjorie Herrick and Charles Bradbury. 

Her family said she was an adventurer at heart, likely inspired by her parents. Her mother recorded her travels as a child, from Bolivia at 3 months (1931), to California (1933), Mexico, Panama, Socorro, Richmond, Bolivia (fall 1933), Richmond (July 1934), Bolivia (January 1935), returned to U.S. (June 1936), moved to Socorro (Summer 1939), moved to Albuquerque (1940). 

She graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1948 and from the University of Denver in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. 

She met Robert L. “Bob” Smith at the University of Colorado Boulder, and they were married in 1953. 

Mrs. Smith did part-time nursing work while raising their four children, Jim, Corinne (Lolly), Paul and Rob, until 1980 when she went to work full time in her husband’s general medical practice in La Junta. 

She also worked as an intensive care nurse in La Junta, Pueblo and Salida. 

Mrs. Smith loved music. Her daughter loved listening to her playing Beethoven, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky on the piano at night. 

The junior choir she volunteered to tackle at St. Timothy’s Church in Rangely was one of her daughter’s happiest memories from her childhood church, and Mrs. Smith organized an exchange with an Episcopal Church called Whiterock Church on the Ute Reservation in nearby Utah. 

She loved traveling, bridge, hiking, camping and organizing family gatherings and reunions. 

She was devoted to her PEO sisters and to the Episcopal church. 

In addition to her parents, She was preceded in death by parents; her husband of 55 years; brother, William Bradbury, sister Emily Jones; sister-in-law Betty Bradbury; and brothers-in-law, Walt Clark, Burt Smith and Tom Morgan. 

Survivors include her sister Nancy Morgan of Ocala, Florida; sister-in-law Mary Beth Smith of Denver; sons, James B. Smith of Fort Morgan, Paul H. Smith of Placitas, New Mexico and Robert F. Smith of Boise, Idaho; daughter, Corinne S. Radakovich of Fort Peck, Montana, and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Her memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Nov. 5, 2022, in the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, 349 E St, Salida. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Health 4 Haiti, PEO Scholarships, National Federation of the Blind or the Episcopal Church of the Ascension.