On Thursday, August 22, 2024, Mary Catherine Smothermon, loving wife and mother of five children, passed away at the age of 84. M.C., as she was known to friends and loved ones, was born on January 18, 1940, in Garden City, Kansas, to George and Laura Ruth. She graduated high school in Denver, Colorado and went to work at the United States Air Force Academy. It was there that she met and married the love of her life, Philip “Skip” Smothermon, Sr. Together, they welcomed five children into their family: Philip, Susan, Kirt, Richard and Ruth.
M.C. and Skip moved to Chandler, Oklahoma, where they were part owners of Fendy’s Restaurant for many years. Motivated by the death of their son, Kirt, M.C. founded RAIN in 1992, an organization dedicated to providing support, advocacy and care to individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Her work in this area led to her being honored in The Book of Lives & Legacies in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1995. Later that year M.C. became the oldest recipient of the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which allowed her to intern in theWhite House and earn her undergraduate degree and the age of 56. Upon graduation, she attended Oklahoma City University School of Law, where she was selected “Outstanding Woman Law Graduate” for 2002.
M.C. continued her life of public service after graduation, devoting the bulk of her legal career to representing parents and children at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oklahoma County.
M.C. was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years, Skip, her father George, mother Margaret, her stepfather Jim, her brother Tommy, her son Kirt, and grandson Matthew. She is survived by four of her children, Philip and wife Debbie, Susan, Richard and wife Connie, and Ruth, as well as grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews, who all loved her dearly.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 6, 2024, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Oklahoma County Juvenile Justice Center, 5905 Classen Ct, Room JUV-205, Oklahoma City, OK 73118. In October, M.C. and Skip will be interred together with full military honors at the United State Air Force Academy.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made in M.C.’s honor to RAIN Oklahoma, 3800 N. Classen Blvd, Suite 200, Oklahoma City OD 73118.