Diana M. Smith

Diana Marie Smith, age 64, of Appleton, died Friday August 26, 2016 at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, from acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on October 26, 1951, daughter of Duncan and Hilary (Cannell) Smith. Diana married David Dodd on May 1, 1988.

As a young adult in the 'seventies, Diana was involved with many of the causes of the day, protesting the War in Vietnam, working for equal rights for women, and supporting access to education and affordable, healthy food through participation in free schools and food cooperatives. As she grew older, she devoted more of her energy to writing poetry and fiction, producing a number of stories that described her experiences in those earlier years. Although little of her work was published, it was always well-received by those who encountered it.

Through much of her life, Diana enjoyed meeting new people and discovering new places, and, after leaving her parents' home, lived on Long Island and in Buffalo, New York; in Berkeley, San Francisco, Lake County, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles, California; in Madison and Appleton, Wisconsin; and in Morris County, New Jersey. In later years, her independent and adventurous spirit was challenged by severe mental illness and chronic pain, nevertheless, she continued to impress all who met her with her compassion and intelligence. Her death brought to an end the chronic conditions that had caused her so much trouble, but grief to all those who loved her warmth and humor.

Diana was preceded in death by her father, Duncan, in 2006, and her mother, Hilary, in 2010.

She is survived by her husband of 28 years, David Dodd, and survived by her sisters Noelle (J.C.) Cormier, Valerie Smith, and Gillian Smith, as well as two nieces.

Funeral Services for Diana will be on September 9, 2016 at 10:30am at the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2600 E. Philip Lane, Appleton, Wisconsin. Visitation will be at the Wichmann Funeral Home on Superior Street in Appleton on September 8, 2016 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm and at The Fellowship on September 9, 2016 from 9:30am to 10:30am. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Appleton.

In lieu of flowers and other expressions of sympathy, A memorial fund will be established.