On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Gaye Elizabeth Smith was born June 24, 1956, in Sioux Rapids, Iowa. She was the youngest child of Leo Joy and Esther (Bittinger) Smith. Siblings, Merry Margaret, Timothy, and Theodore greeted her homecoming. Life was good as Joy and Esther planned to raise their family on the Bittinger family farm south of Webb, Iowa. However, heartbreak came on February 7, 1957, when both Esther and Teddy lost their lives in a car accident. Therefore, for most of her first three years, Gaye was lovingly cared for by Grandma and Pop Smith.
In 1959, Joy married Joyce Johnson, and Gaye returned home to the family. All three children were adopted by Joyce. In the next three years, the family grew with the births of Brett and Matthew. Gaye quickly became a caring responsible middle child, adoring her older sister and brother and younger pesky brothers. Growing up on the farm, attending South Clay School and the Sioux Rapids Methodist Church, participating in 4-H for nine years and exhibiting at the Clay County Fair, sewing clothes, helping with household chores, the family garden, food preservation, and preparing hearty family meals Gaye developed lifelong skills. In middle school and high school, Gaye was active in athletics, basketball, and track. Her first love though was music. She shared her vocal talents in solo, small group, and chorus. Her vocal teacher encouraged her to audition for "America's Youth in Concert" her junior year. She was accepted and traveled with the group, performing throughout Europe with the final concert at Carnegie Hall that summer. She also played the piano and flute in the school band. Many years later, she played flute with the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, California and participated in many of their annual recitals.
Choosing to pursue a music education career would lead Gaye to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. In addition to scholastic endeavors, she engaged in many campus activities and worked part time. One of her jobs was at USD McKusick Law Library (an unlikely place for a music major) where she met a dear friend, Suzanne, who enticed Gaye to move to California after she graduated in 1979. Gaye and Suzanne worked in the University of La Verne Law Library. From then on California was home, but Gaye never forgot her Iowa roots. She returned for annual family reunions, weddings, anniversary celebrations, graduations, Christmas gatherings, class reunions, and more. Staying connected was paramount to her.
After moving to California, Gaye knew teaching was not for her, so she began taking classes in finance. She ultimately ended her professional career at 20th Century Fox Television where she was deeply respected for her knowledge, reliability, and readiness to help. While teaching was not for her, mentoring was. Fox had a high school student mentoring program, and Gaye mentored many students over a 10-year period. Gaye also took classes for fun which led her to cooking classes at UCLA where she met Alice. As their friendship grew, they attended the LA Culinary Institute together for two years in the late 90s.They started a catering company, Invite The Chefs, which catered events and wedding receptions in the LA area and as far away as Las Vegas and Oregon. While in school, they met Tom Buchanan and called on him for catering help. Thus began Gaye and Tom's ever-growing friendship, bound together by love of symphonies, Hollywood Bowl Concerts, art museums, dining out, movies, and enjoying quiet moments together.
On March 30, 2024, Gaye and Tom were married in a beautiful ceremony in Riverside, California. Friends and family from near and far came to celebrate this happy event. Gaye was a smart, warm, and passionate woman who cared deeply about friends, family, and the causes she believed in. She welcomed people generously, cooked beautifully, and invited many into her home for a parties and gatherings. She lived her values, and brought thoughtfulness, fun, and loyalty to every part of her life. She inspired all that witnessed how she navigated each cancer journey with courage, strength, and dignity until she passed from time to eternity on November 18, 2025, at her Los Angeles home.
Those who mourn her passing are husband Thomas Buchanan of Santa Monica, CA; mother Joyce (Joe) Klein of Spencer, IA; sister Merry (Mike) Crotty of Pocahontas, IA; brothers Tim (Rita) Smith of Webb, IA, Brett (Mary Jo) Smith of Dickens, IA, and Matthew (Mindy Davis) Smith of Littleton, CO; Tom’s daughter and granddaughter Brittnie De LaGarza and Hailey De LaGarza; and sister-in-law Daisy Fischtrom Buchanan. Also, a trainload of Smith, Bittinger, and Johnson nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles, as well as her California found family: Alice and daughters, Dion, Richard, John, Paul, Caroline and many more friends.
