Marian Ambrose Smith

Marian Ambrose “Mimi” Smith (Age 63) of Annandale, VA, died on Thursday, May 2, 2019. Mimi was a writer who saw people as they were and always told them the truth. She was born in Washington, DC, in 1955. She graduated Harvard (’77) and Columbia School of Journalism (’82) and was the first stagiaire at the La Varenne École de Cuisine in Paris. Her sensitivity to the world was intertwined with depression, panic attacks, and alcoholism. In 1982 she moved to Israel, hoping to become a war correspondent and “that either gunfire or converting to Judaism might help me stop drinking.” It didn’t work. But she was a deep believer in second chances. In 1983 she returned to Virginia and met J.Y. Smith at an A.A. meeting. He was the obituary editor of the Washington Post. They fell in love over coffees at the Roy Rogers on Wisconsin Ave. J.Y. got a divorce and they both got sober. In 1987 Mimi was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. They were married later that year. They had a son, Macs (1988-), and twins, Hope and Henry (1992-). For years she said “she could do everything the other soccer moms could except stand up.” She was Mason District Little League’s only third-base coach in a scooter. J.Y. died in 2006, leaving her three teenagers to take care of. She loved them more than anything. Recently, her chief pleasure was staying up late to watch movies with them. “Baby Driver” was unexpectedly her favorite, though in the cold light of day she’d have admitted nothing compares to “Un homme et une femme.” Maybe she liked all movies where people fall in love, get in a pretty car, and drive. A Celebration of Life will be held at Zartman House, Sidwell Friends School, 3825 Wisconsin Ave, Washington, DC 20016 on Thursday, July 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the National MS Society.

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