Nancy Smith
It’s always sad when the person we honor is no longer with us. But Nancy Smith made a real difference to this community, and we can’t let this opportunity pass us by to remember her and the good she did.
As a Democrat (capital D), Nancy was an energetic member of the Democratic Club of Kent County and served on the Kent County Democratic Central Committee. She was the institutional memory of those organizations. She was parliamentarian — who knows this stuff anymore? — and executive committee member for the club, and a driving force behind the Central Committee’s Kennedy-King dinner, where her no-nonsense manner made things happen. She was the Martha Holland Volunteer of the Year in 2022, an annual award given to honor the most outstanding volunteer for the Democratic Party in Kent County in the previous year.
As a democrat (lower case d), Nancy was an active member and past president of the League of Women Voters in Kent County, and board member of the state-wide LWV. She was instrumental in the production of Voter Guides and in the startup and continuing efforts of Vote 411.
Her long-time friend, Sandy Bjork, said this at Nancy’s memorial gathering:
“But of all of Nancy’s League activities, her crowning achievements were the candidate forums. She could charm the candidates as well as the venue operators to get what was needed, and whatever reputation we have for really good forums, was all Nancy. She also would stand her ground to be sure that the forums stayed within the League requirements. One of the more memorable times was the Kratovil/Harris forum at Queen Anne’s County High School. The Harris supporters were out in force and determined to turn the event into a rally of sorts. Nancy went toe to toe with the organizers, and in the end, there were many attendees seated with their campaign shirts turned inside out and under the threat of expulsion if any one of them dared to raise a partisan fuss!”
There’s no denying that Nancy was a force of nature, with her Southern accent, her nonsensical manner, and her wry sense of humor. Several hundred people came out to honor and remember her life. She made great contributions to our lives in Kent County.
Nancy, we’ll miss you.
Read more about Nancy’s life and see lots of pictures here (then click Obituary).
