Mary Margaret Smith, Mary to her friends and Mary Marg to her family, was a person of great intelligence, personal strength, and faith. She passed away July 6th, 2026, at the age of 86. She was born Mary Margaret Astle on January 18th, 1940, in Billings, Montana, the middle child of five siblings. Mary was an excellent student and an accomplished athlete; in highschool Mary was Montana state tennis champion, just as her older sister Liz had been.

Mary achieved the highest level of education of anyone in her family. She earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in home economics from Montana State University in Bozeman in the early nineteen sixties, then went on to earn a PhD in the subject from Colorado State University in 1977. By then she was already a tenured professor (and eventually department chair) at the University of New Mexico. She taught at UNM until she retired and stayed in Albuquerque until she passed away. She loved New Mexico, and over time became a keen collector of Pueblo pottery and southwestern Native American art.

Mary met John Mark "Jack" Smith, a freelance writer, while she was teaching in New Orleans in the mid nineteen sixties. When Mary's next teaching job took her to California, Jack followed, and they were married there on July 1st, 1967. Within two years they moved to Colorado so that Mary could work on her PhD, then finally settled permanently in Albuquerque. Jack and Mary shared a sharp sense of humor and a love of books and storytelling, which made them a quick-witted and literary couple. Sadly, Jack passed away suddenly in 1981 at the age of only forty nine.

Mary was lucky to have a supportive family and a group of good friends around her as she adjusted to life without Jack. She and her sisters Liz and Louise in particular became something of a team – the trio traveled the world together and often spent holidays with each other. It is particularly poignant that the three sisters all passed away within thirteen months of each other.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Jack, her parents Tom and Peg Astle, her older brother Thomas Astle, Jr., her older sister Elizabeth Astle, and her younger sister Louise Astle. She is survived by her brother Mark Astle and wife Jeanne of Billings, Montana; six nieces and nephews: Joe Astle, Katie Goedde, Kevin Astle, Jennifer Morgan, Lisa Cole, and Tom J. Astle; and ten grand-nieces and grand-nephews – and of course by her extended family of former colleagues and friends.

Mary navigated a life punctuated by great loss, but she also embodied the essential optimism inherent in a life dedicated to education. She spent decades sharing her knowledge, over time sending ripples of inspiration to countless students. It's an admirable legacy. Goodbye, Professor Smith.