Gayle Hodge Smith, most recently of Towson and Gibson Island, Maryland, peacefully departed on her final adventure on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Blakehurst Chestnut Green Health Center in Towson.

Gayle was born August 21, 1931, to D. Malcolm and Catherine Gayle Hodge, in Philadelphia, PA. She and her sister Mary Lou spent a very happy childhood in Swarthmore, PA, where Gayle was an excellent student and proud pre-Title IX lacrosse player at Swarthmore High School. Her world opened when she went to Ithaca to enroll at Cornell University. There she studied zoology, fed her insatiable curiosity with interesting courses taught by renowned scholars, cultivated an amazing cadre of friends who lasted a lifetime, and met the love and adventure companion of her life, Richard C. “Dick” Smith. Immediately after graduation, on August 29, 1953, they were married in Swarthmore.

Gayle and Dick had three daughters, Linda, Carol, and Cathy, who were the center of their lives; together they moved across the country and overseas thanks to Dick’s work with Procter & Gamble. Gayle believed that moving often and living overseas had a lasting, transformative impact, broadening her and her family’s view of the world and providing the foundation for their strong family bonds.

After living in Aberdeen, MD, Picatinny, NJ, Cincinnati, OH, Iowa City, IA, and Dallas, TX, in 1964, with their three young daughters in tow, Gayle and Dick moved to Rome, Italy, where they lived for three years. Thus began Gayle’s love of travel, opening her eyes to all the places in the world there are to see. Gayle and Dick later spent their retirement years, exploring the world – on their own, with tours, and from their sailboat.

The Smiths’ time in Italy also sparked Gayle’s interest in and passion for art. While in Rome she learned all she could about the rich art history of the country and the continent, traveling and touring all over to visit museums and galleries. When they returned from Italy, first to Kansas City, KS, then Baltimore and Cincinnati, Gayle turned that passion into deeply meaningful volunteer work. She was a Picture Lady, bringing art appreciation to her daughters’ schools, and a docent at the major art museums in those cities. She turned her energy to professional pursuit when she became the head of the education department at the Cincinnati Art Museum. In retirement she enjoyed serving as a docent at the Baltimore Museum of Art, coordinating art exhibits at the Gibson Island Club, and continuing to learn and explore with the Art Seminar Group.

Gayle, who described herself as a “lifelong Democrat in a sea of Republicans,” was fiercely progressive. She volunteered for the League of Women Voters and impressed on her children – and later her grandchildren – the importance of political engagement and the power of voting. She was very proud to join friends from her church for the Women’s March on Washington in 2017.

The Smiths spent many happy years sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, Lake Erie, and in the Caribbean. For many winters after their retirement, Gayle and Dick would sail their boats – Elixir then Odyssey – down the inland waterway first to visit with friends in Florida then to cruise the seas and islands of the Bahamas. While sailing was Dick’s passion, Gayle took her role as first mate very seriously; she learned all she could and always felt that sailing was good for them as a couple and for their family.

A great joy for Gayle and Dick was watching their family grow. As much as their daughters, they loved their sons-in-law, and poured their hearts, interests, and passions into the lives of their beloved grandchildren and their partners and children. Gayle will be greatly missed but joyously celebrated by her daughters and their husbands, Linda and Bob Brockway, Philadelphia, PA; Carol and Tom Pynchon, Sutton, NH; and Cathy and Rich Badmington, Baltimore; and by her beloved grandchildren and their families: Michael and Andrea Brockway and Owen, Harry, Lucas, and Sibby; Christopher Brockway; Lisa and Matt Conroy and Oliver and Lucy; Drew and Christine Pynchon; David Pynchon and Andy Kaier; Lindy Pynchon; Casey Badmington; Tim Badmington and Melissa Anderson; Brady Badmington. Gayle will also be fondly remembered by her sister Mary Lou Schneider and her family and many friends far and wide.

The family will celebrate Gayle’s life on her birthday weekend. A memorial service will be held in the chapel at the Church of the Redeemer, 5603 North Charles Street, Baltimore, on Saturday, August 19, at 11 a.m. A private interment will take place in the Memorial Garden at St. Christopher’s by the Sea, Gibson Island.

We invite you to honor Gayle’s memory by taking a brisk walk, poring over family photo albums and travel scrapbooks, visiting your favorite art museum, reading the Sunday New York Times cover to cover, enjoying a family meal with a nice glass of wine, or hugging those you love. You are welcome to share a memory or note in the Memory Book. Memorial contributions may be made to the Baltimore Museum of Art, Planned Parenthood, or the charity of your choice.