In recollecting the life of mountain woman Joie Smith, close friend Gary Randall noted two constants when dealing with her. The first was that she always had her way of doing things - “Don’t do it like that, do it like this,” he recalled her saying - and the second was her unique smile and a thank you.

“She always had that sincere thank you,” said Randall, who met Smith when
he ordered wood from her and was told to stand aside when she delivered it.
Members of the Mountain community flocked to the Welches Lions Club on
Sunday, April 27 to celebrate Smith and share stories that combined aspects
of her work ethic, tough mountain mentality and her spirit of generosity and
friendship. Smith died on March 29 at the age of 85.

Smith moved to Rhododendron in 1953, the start of a lifetime of activity and
roles that impacted countless facets of mountain life. She operated a ski shop
in Rhododendron, worked as a logger, flew planes, made saddles, was a
gunsmith, produced videos, worked at Timberline Lodge in the ski shop and in
the stables and owned and operated Alpine Towing. Smith had a passion for
horses, riding all over the mountain, riding in rodeos, teaching others and
even supplying her horses for a movie.

“Joie had a depth of knowledge that was only exceeded by the depth of her
curiosity,” said Patti Risley, a friend and fellow horse rider who came in from
Sisters for the celebration. “She would rather go out with the fellas and talk
about trucks and transmissions than sit around the table and talk about
menus with the girls.”

As a tow truck driver, Smith made a lasting impression with her knowledge
and skill in extracting vehicles from perilous situations. Randall remembered
when he was summoned in the middle of the night to help Smith rescue
trucks stuck from a blizzard at the junction of Highways 26 and 35.

“I’ve worked in mills, I’ve worked in machine shops, I’ve done heavy work; I
don’t think I’ve ever worked harder than I have with Joie Smith,” said Randall,
who got to ride on the running board of Smith’s tow truck, “Big Red.”

Her presence and skill at the scene of an accident also made a huge difference
for the Hoodland Fire District, as Chief Mic Eby explained.

“I can honestly say that in some of the most hairiest accidents, emergency
scenes on Hwy. 26, when Joie showed up things settled down, things got calm
and things got safe,” Eby said. “She took over, she wouldn’t let us do
anything unsafe.”

John Rizzo, a former Oregon State Police officer who met Smith in 1980,
recalled how proud she was when the police used her horses to help stop a
crime spree on Mountain cabins, catch the burglars in the act and send them
to jail. He also marvelled at her skills and tenacity in life.

“The only two people I’ve ever met in my life who I thought could live more
than five days on the Oregon Trail were Joie Smith and Charlie Lake,” Rizzo
said. “Not only would they have got through it, they would have got the whole
damn wagon trail through it.”

Bill Nylund, a neighbor of Smith’s and pastor at Milwaukie Covenant Church,
noted her impact on his family.

“We’re a little bit better, a little bit more knowledgeable about a few things
because we learned the Joie way,” he said.

Smith is survived by her half sister Gayle Smith Kosel, numerous nieces and a
nephew.