A true lady and kind mentor, devoted to her family

Marie Louise Smith, wife of Ross (dec), mother of Roslyn, Darrell (Bill), Christine and Susan, mother-in-law of Max (dec), Bec, and Spider, passed away on Monday, July 15, 2024, aged 85 years.

Marie (née Hatch) was born in Gunnedah on April 22, 1939, to Mary and Joseph Hatch.

She was the youngest of eight children, Eric the eldest followed by Athol, Kevin, Phylis, Rex, Margaret and Geoffrey.

The family lived in Gunnedah before Joseph left, summoned to the war in Papua New Guinea, where he served as a cook to the soldiers.

Mary had her hands full raising the children alone until Joseph returned home at the end of the war.

Marie and Geoffrey, the youngest two of the children had lots of fun together during their childhood, riding bareback on the family’s ex-racehorses or taking their bikes out whenever they could.

The pair often got into a bit of trouble together.

On one occasion they rode their bikes from Keepit Dam to Gunnedah, and Marie had called her mum asking to have her very long hair cut and was met with very a definite “no.”

Unfortunately, the rejection of Marie’s request was rather too late, as she then said, “Well, I have two plaits in a bag”.

You could just imagine the trouble she got into when she eventually arrived home.

The family next moved to Narrabri and managed a farm, ‘Merara’, situated on the Bingara Road and for the next few years the children completed their schooling.

Marie later took on a few jobs, working at Collins Store and as a telephonist at the exchange.

When she was 18-years-old, she met the love of her life upon walking home one day from work at the Collins Store.

A young Ross Smith was driving past with a friend and offered Marie a lift home.

Upon dropping Marie off on that fateful day, Ross proclaimed to his friend, “I am going to marry that girl.”

A spark was lit between the couple and could not be dimmed, as their love story continued for the next 66 years.

The young couple dated for more than a year, spending time with friends and family enjoying barbecues, swimming and motorbike riding.

When the romance was briefly interrupted as Ross was called to join the National Service at Holsworthy, Marie patiently awaited his return.

The happy couple were married on March 23, 1957, and welcomed the arrival of four children, Roslyn (Ros) born 1957, Darrell (Bill) born 1958, Christine (Chris) born 1960 and Susan (Suz) born 1963.

The family had settled in the Pilliga Forest, just outside of Narrabri, and Ross made his living cutting ironbark sleepers for the railways.

In 1984 Ross and Marie moved to a farm in Narrabri.

They named the farm ‘Springsure’ and spent the next few years living in two old railway carriages while Ross went about building their dream home.

Using sleepers milled from his own land, Ross worked with determination to build the home himself.

At the age of 80, Ross was still shearing sheep and working on the farm, until his work was sadly slowed down with the onset of dementia.

During his later years, Ross spent his time in residential care at Jessie Hunt Nursing Home.

These were tough times for the family, but Ross never lost his cheekiness, and the family were blessed in the knowledge that he was well-loved and cared for there.

To the amusement of the family, on one of Marie’s visits, Ross was under the illusion he was married to one of the nursing staff.

When Marie sat down, Ross asked her “How long have I been married for?” “64 years,” Marie replied.

“Well, I want a divorce; I want to marry you”, Ross informed Marie with a smile.

On the couple’s 65th wedding anniversary on March 23, 2022, Jessie Hunt staff celebrated the event with a lunch for the family, complete with a welcome board and table decorated with flowers and commemorative photos.

Ross and Marie sung their favourite song together, When I First Saw The Lovelight In Your Eyes by Slim Dusty, and the family spent the day together celebrating.

A special moment for Marie was receiving a congratulatory letter from the Queen for the special occasion.

The time spent in each other’s company never waned.

Marie would visit Ross every day, only staying away when sickness would not allow her to see him.

Ross sadly passed away in December 2022, at the age of 87.

One of Marie’s main reasons for living was to take care of people, especially in the form of food and drinks.

Marie’s grandchildren have fond memories of always being offered a range of drinks when visiting.

She would ask them if they wanted a lolly or a biscuit three times in a row, and after three insistent nos, a lolly or a biscuit would still appear.

If the treat was politely eaten, Marie would declare, “See, I knew you were hungry.”

The grandchildren have many fond memories of growing up with Marie, from playing Uno together, having numerous blankets tucked over them when there was a sleepover, climbing into bed with Marie and Ross in the early mornings, reading horoscopes from a young age, making homemade facials with cucumbers over the eyes, choosing Lotto numbers and discussing what they would do with the winnings, being served mashed potato from an ice cream scoop, or feeding lambs with Foster’s Light Ice bottles, just to name a few.

Many dramatic performances by the children were held in the sunroom, and Marie’s personal favourite was a news report, very competently delivered to much delight.

Marie was a shocking speller, and the family would find great amusement at the words she could pre-empt and come up with, but Marie always enjoyed reading and writing nonetheless.

Marie kept every letter or drawing that was given to her by her grandchildren.

She is remembered as the person who gave others the permission to be unapologetically themselves and be met with nothing but warmth, acceptance, trust, safety, and most of all, love.

Marie is survived by her children and their partners, Ros, Bill and Bec, Chris and Spider, Susan, and grandchildren and their partners, Luke and Sally, Rick and Sharmaine, Shelley and Justin, Tash and Brendan, Leon and Jemima, Abby and Nick, Sissy and Dylan, Jed and Nahmi, Josh and Kelly, and Jem.

She was proud great-grandmother to 21 great-grandchildren.

She will be greatly missed.