Comments:
[Note: These comments are authored by Joe Smith. Cindy Smith-Koerner passed away on Dec 31, 2004, due to breast cancer complications.]
After High school, Cindy attended YVC starting her associates degree and was involved in YVC drama. She even dyed her hair platinum blond during one drama show's run and had quite the Miss Monroe look. She moved to SanDiego after about 2 years and lived there for a year before moving to Seattle where she continued her relationship with Joe Smith, who was attending UW. They were married in 1984 after moving to SanDiego together, which is where Joe's post graduation job was located by coincidence. Cindy was accepted to nursing school in SanDiego and about to start, when she became pregnant with their first child and decided to postpone nursing school. She gave birth to three children (Christy, Tracy and Tyler) over the 8-9 years in San Diego before moving to Post Falls, ID in late 1991 with Joe's job change. There she finally restarted her Nursing school and graduated from North Idaho College as a registered Nurse. She had a strong aptitude for nursing and soon became charge nurse in several specialty units, but her favorite ended up being Emergency Room Nurse. Nursing became very important for both her desire to help others and she was good at it. In 1996 Cindy and Joe were divorced, and Cindy stayed in Post Falls until she remarried in 1998 to Keith Koerner in Stevensville, MT. This is where she not only inherited two loving teen daughters Cassie and Amanda, but also gave birth to two more children, Zach(now 7) and Noah(now 5). Cindy was diagnosed with breast cancer early in her pregnancy with Noah. She decided to undergo minimal cancer treatment until after the birth of her son. She gave birth to a healthy boy Noah, and then underwent successful surgery and chemo treatments for her cancer. She went on to continue her Nursing career on a more part time basis. She was diagnosed again with cancer over a year later, but it was spread now and found in the brain, kidney and spine. She underwent more extensive cancer treatments for a year before passing away after a valiant battle where she continued to love and teach her greatest treasure in life, her children. By her request, Cindy's headstone reads, "Have faith to see miracles" and "She loved her chilly willies"
