The Harbor-Lites Trio
made up of Linda, Lois Nyman, Sue Fusch and their pianist, Anita
Benskin, recorded an album and traveled as a public relations team for
Northwest College in the summer of 1966. Linda Smith was born August 1, 1947 in Grand Junction, Colorado to
Ivory and Mary "Molly" Smith. She came to Northwest College in the fall
of 1965 from her home town of Centralia, Washington with her long time
friend, Lois Nyman. She sang in the Northwest College Concert Choir and
was the alto in the Harbor-Lites Trio. The Harbor-Lites Trio
made up of Linda, Lois Nyman, Sue Fusch and their pianist, Anita
Benskin, recorded an album and traveled as a public relations team for
Northwest College in the summer of 1966.
Linda died in her sleep of a heart attack on Wednesday, September 7, 2005 in the home she shared with her older sister, Laveta Graber, in Rogers, Arkansas. She was preceded in death by her parents. Survivors include her daughter, Stephanie (Will) Maurer and husband, Joe, of Ladera Ranch, California; her brother Ronald Smith and wife Jean of Sumner, Washington; her sister LaVeta Graber of Rogers, Arkansas; and her beloved grandchildren Sam, Olivia, Hannah and Sophia Maurer.
Linda had worked in the cosmetic industry for Noevir in Irvine and Estee Lauder in Mission Viejo. Prior to that, she was in the Real Estate Development Industry with the former Mission Viejo Company.
Pictured on the right is Linda's daughter, Stephanie Maurer, of Ladera Ranch, California, who wrote the following tribute to her mother:
"She was sweet and charming, and always had an ear to
listen, a shoulder to cry on, an arm to wrap around you, and a strong
hand to hold. Her tongue was the law of kindness and encouragement to
others. And though she made some mistakes, as we all do on the road of
life, she was an example to everyone of how to treat others. People may
have been drawn to her at first by her outward beauty; but, they were
awestruck by her inward beauty and unmatched thoughtfulness."
-- Stephanie Maurer
Linda was adored by her grandkids, inspiring in them a love of books. She always took the time to snuggle and share a story accompanied by numerous hugs and kisses. Her beautiful smile and thoughtful way will be missed.
Linda's compelling alto voice was featured in the following solo on the Harbor-Lites Trio album recorded in 1966. Click the media player below to hear Linda sing, "I Sure Do Love The Lord" This version was remastered from the original Harbor-Lites album and has support tracks added by Elvin Huston in a 2006 project.
