Annemarie Doris Smith, 75, Laguna Woods, passed away on Monday, May 19 in hospice care.

Annie was born on February 16, 1950, in Irmenach, Germany, the daughter of Hildegard (Türtmann) and Adolf Henn. She was preceded in death not only by her parents, but by a sister, Margaret, who died before Annie was born. Already as a child, Annie was always on the go. Her mother was always searching for her in their village when it was time for dinner and could only be found by whose house her teddy bear on wheels was parked. She finished an eighth-grade education in her town's school, then went to trade school with her aunt for interior design and sales at the age of 14, 160 miles away from home.

Annie returned home from trade school two years later after her father died of a heart attack. She started working in interior design sales, and then worked in a bakery and driving a bread delivery truck.

She married Michael Smith, an American enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in Germany, on July 7, 1973, and they lived in Irmenach in the house in which Annie was born until moving to the U.S. in January 2024 to be closer to their daughter and her family.

When she was younger, Annie helped her mother, who was the caretaker of the town church. She also loved belly dancing and square dancing, taking motorcycle trips with her husband, and – despite only seeing her grandson Emmett twice a year due to distance – spoiled him rotten whenever she could.

Annie was never one to sit still and some of her families many memories are that she spent her honeymoon in a leaky tent in a parking lot and hitchhiked carrying a toolbox to help her husband fix the engine of their car. She fell into a well one winter while she was out in the dark trying to save her dog. She volunteered to clean windows when visiting friends and family and was known as "Annie with her bucket". People started requesting their windows cleaned during visits. Annie was the epitome of German stubbornness and very protective of her family.

She is survived by her husband Mike, Laguna Woods; daughter Nadin Hare and her husband Matthew; her grandson Emmett; cousins in Germany; and various friends she made across the world due to her husband's time in the military.

A celebration of her life will be held at the home she shared with her husband on June 14 at 4 pm. Her family would like to thank the Leonard Cancer Institute in Mission Viejo; the cancer treatment center in Bernkastel, Germany; and the doctors and nurses that took exceptional care of her.