Obituary of Caren Lila Smithlin

“She was all the best things.”

Great-nephew Jameson Pelton (age 4)

October 15, 2020

On October 14, 2020, our beloved Caren Lila Smithlin left us for her new address. In her 71 years here, she lived a big life filled with the love of a large extended family and many close friends. Her heart, her mind and her home were always open, and she touched more lives than could ever be counted.

Caren was born on August 22, 1949, in Kalispell, Montana, and she spent her childhood there. She attended St. Matthews Catholic School and graduated from Flathead High School. As the eldest daughter of small business owners, she understood the value of hard work and grew up doing many jobs in the family restaurant. After high school, Caren moved to Spokane to attend Kinman Business University, and after graduating she made her home in Tacoma where she spent the rest of her days. Caren’s career in the insurance industry spanned four decades, and while she loved her job and her colleagues at Bratrud Middleton, she thoroughly enjoyed her retirement in 2010.

Caren’s Catholic faith was very important to her and she was an active member of Holy Rosary Parish. She held many volunteer positions over the years, served on the Council and sang in the choir. Caren was passionate about the Right to Life and championed that cause all the way to the State Capitol when the fight took her there.

She will be missed terribly by her surviving family members including her Aunt Cora of Tacoma and Aunt Lila of Liberty Lake, her five siblings Johnny (Jeanette), Betty (Phil), Joanne, Tom (Debbie), and Carl, her 13 nieces and nephews, and her 26 great nieces and nephews.

Her nieces and nephews: Mark (Teressa), Tina (Scott), Tony (Kyra), Shannon (Scott), Christie (Patrick), Caren, Natalie (Brett), Thomas (Cheri), Jennifer (Sammy), Rob (Kelly), Josie (Jeremy), Stephanie, Alicia, Julia (Justin), and Emily.

Her great nieces and nephews: Johnny, Jamie, Mark, Kelly, Luke, TJ, Jessica, Bryce, Christopher, Zachary, Angelo, Aidan, Abbie, Finley, Nate, Sophia, Holton, Briar, Berkli and Hugo. And she was a devoted Gigi to the youngest of the great nieces and nephews: Brayden, Cylis, Jameson, Jaquelynn, Justice and Ryder.

Caren will be greeted in heaven by her nephew Christopher, her niece Geoffrey, and her parents John and Carol. A private mass for immediate family will be held in her honor at St. Ann Parish. The final resting place for her ashes will be at Gethsemane Cemetery.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory and mailed to St. Ann Catholic Church, 7025 S Park Ave, Tacoma, WA, 98408.