Jeffrey Leonard Smith, age 78, husband, father, and friend, passed away on September 17, 2020.

 

Jeffrey was born in Hyannis, MA, just before his father left to serve in WWII. Jeffrey grew up in Middlebury, CT, with his sister Diana E. Smith and brothers, Jonathan L. Smith and Jeremy F. Smith. He attended Washington State University in Pullman, then transferred to the University of California Berkley, where he became a fraternity brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, the California Alpha Chapter. Jeff finished his education with a law degree at the University of California, Hastings, College of Law.

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Jeffrey fought for Civil Rights in the '60s working in Mississippi and Alabama for the United States Justice Department. He moved into private practice, and became a partner at Cohen, Brame, and Smith, as a trial attorney in Denver, Colorado. Jeffrey loved his work and practiced law for forty years. He retired in 2007 after his firm merged with Ballard Spahr LLC.

 

Jeffrey was an avid road cyclist, riding thousands of miles across the United States and Europe with his cycling friends in Boulder, CO, and The LaFayette Riders in California. This club promoted American French friendship by annual bicycle tours done alternately in the United States and in France or another country of Europe. He and his wife Jan loved to mountain bike; they were married in Moab, UT on Moab Rim, and rode down the rim after the ceremony on their bikes. Over the years, Jeff had incredible mountain bike adventures with his friends. He enjoyed cheering on his talented, athletic kids when they competed in soccer, field hockey, and ski racing. Jeff loved skiing with his children, spending winter weekends with them in Steamboat, and in later years, watching his grandchildren race. Jeffrey loved to travel; he and his wife, Jan, had extraordinary adventures scuba diving, going on safari, and taking trips to experience nature worldwide. When home, Jeffrey always had a project to work on; he loved woodworking, caring for his yard and garden, cooking meals, and walking his four dogs, who were his constant companions during his Alzheimer's journey.

 

He is survived by his wife Jan McHugh-Smith, his children Samuel S. Smith, Elizabeth L. Smith, Rebecca S. Smith, and Emily D. Smith, his stepson Alexander J. High, his siblings Diana E. Smith, Jonathan L. Smith, and Jeremy F. Smith, his four grandchildren, and his previous wife, Diana D. Smith. He is preceded in death by his father, Dr. Jasper A. Smith, and mother Emily A. Smith.