Marjorie Smith, Wife of National Commander, Passes at 68

Margaret (Marjorie) Anne Smith, wife of Civil Air Patrol National Commander and CEO Maj. Gen. Mark Smith, passed away today in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was 68.

She was born July 11, 1950, in Bellshill, Scotland, to James and Agnes Henderson. After finishing school, she worked for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Glasgow and London.

She met her future husband, Mark Smith, in Glasgow on a group date. The two married in Scotland 15 months later after he finished pilot training with the U.S. Air Force.

Gen. Smith’s Air Force career took the family, including daughter Hillary and son Gregory, to many destinations in Europe and the U.S. before they eventually settled in Albuquerque. Her favorite assignments were Bitburg Air Base, Germany, and Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

The family learned to snow ski in Austria, and ski vacations were the family norm for many years.

“Marjorie was an over-the-top extrovert and never met a stranger,” Gen. Smith said. “Without trying, she was often the center of attention thanks to her engaging personality.”

She was active in the Air Force base chapel programs at various assignments and then in Albuquerque’s Heights First Church of the Nazarene. She also was a Civil Air Patrol member for several years.

A two-time breast cancer survivor, she endured many operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Gen. Smith said. “As a result, Marjorie’s health gradually declined following her initial illness in 2001,” he said.

“Despite all that she endured, Marjorie never complained. She was strong and courageous, serving as an inspiration to others.”

In addition to Gen. Smith, she is survived by her mother, Agnes Henderson; her brother, James; her daughter, Hillary Wenrich; her son, Gregory Smith; and her granddaughters, Hazel and Anna Wenrich.

A viewing will be held from 5-7 p.m. March 29 at French – Wyoming, 7121 Wyoming Blvd. N.E., in Albuquerque. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. March 30 at Heights First Church of the Nazarene, 8401 Paseo Del Norte N.E., in Albuquerque. Interment will be at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions be made to Civil Air Patrol or the American Cancer Society. Tribute gifts to CAP may be made here.