Obituary: Alicia Smith

Alicia Smith was born on July 31, 1954, in San Antonio, Texas, to Mary Chamberlain Smith and Robert Griffin Smith. Her early years were filled with adventure and change, as her father's career took the family to Lubbock and El Paso, and later to Virginia, where they lived in Hampton and Springfield. Alicia's academic talents shone early—she graduated from high school in Springfield at just 16 years old.
At 17, Alicia began her studies at the University of Houston, embarking on a journey of lifelong learning and personal growth. She later moved to Austin, where she earned her real estate license and founded the Alicia Smith Real Estate School, a respected institution that helped shape the careers of many in the field. Alicia was well known for her dedication and expertise in real estate education.
A devoted animal lover, Alicia cherished her cats—Phoenix, Flash, and Bear—for many years. Her love for animals continued throughout her life, and after moving to Bozeman, Montana, in the early 2000s, she discovered a new affection for dogs, especially Hunka.
Alicia's career evolved as she became an executive coach, guiding others with wisdom and compassion. She played a pivotal role in her family's life, facilitating her parents' move to Florida in the mid-1980s and later to Austin in the early 1990s. Her generosity extended to her niece, Jessica, who lived with Alicia in Austin during her first two years of law school at the University of Texas. Alicia and Jessica, along with Alicia's parents, shared weekly dinners.
Alicia used her real estate expertise and relationships to help each of her nieces purchase their first home. Alicia's unique taste influenced those around her, including her brother Phil and sister-in-law Pat, whom she guided in selecting furniture and purchasing a home in Lubbock in 2000. Her sense of style was appreciated by all who knew her.
In Bozeman, Alicia became active in the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She dedicated her time to advocacy and support for mental health on the local, and national levels. She was a critical mental health advocate at the Montana Capitol during multiple legislative sessions. For her amazing work, Alicia was recognized with both a Hero Award from NAMI Montana and the prestigious Ken Steel Award from National NAMI.
She loved the outdoors, enjoyed long walks, and found joy in her friendships and in giving back to her community. Alicia could often be found hiking South Cottonwood, Middle Cottonwood and Hyalite trails with her dogs Hunka-Hunka-Burnin-Love, Tella and later Ryder. She trained her dogs, Hunka and Tella, as service dogs for her balance and reality checks. She used several trainers in Bozeman and expressed her gratitude to them for helping develop her service dogs. Both dogs traveled everywhere with her, including flights across the country.
Part of Alicia's passion was for the definition of "service dog" for airlines and other public transportation. She even participated in a Congressional discussion to help define the laws concerning service dogs, using Tella as an example. Along with hiking, Alicia attended a weekly coffee group of friends and learned to camp in Montana. Her favorite camp was a yearly birthday trip to Window Rock Cabin, hosting a potluck for friends and hiking the area.
Alica fought a courageous battle with dementia. She tackled it with her signature focused determination and an amazing combination of friends, colleagues, and Dementia Mentor support groups. Alicia relied on her friend Matt Kuntz to coordinate her healthcare and Dawn Larimer to manage her finances. She had amazing support from Home Instead care team including: Andrea, Bev, Carol, Daniel, Darynne (Dee), Diana, Elizabeth, Gig, Grace, Helen, Jillian, Jon, Kathleen (K.C.), Kelly, Laura, Lisa, Megan, Michele, Miranda, Norie, Norma, Patty, RuthAnn, Sam, SaraJane and Tamara.
Alicia will be remembered for her intelligence, wit, love of animals, generosity, and the strength of her friendships. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched, the careers she helped build, the family and friends who will forever cherish her memory, and through her generous donation of the majority of her estate to NAMI Montana and NAMI National.
She is survived by her brother, Philip Smith and his wife Patricia; nieces, Alexis Collins (Robert) and Jessica Hoffmann (David); great-niece, Niamh Collins; great-nephews, Liam Collins, Shaw and Smith Hoffmann; and many loving friends including Barb Berger, Debra Lloyd, Karen Creekmore, and Sue Harkin.
A Memorial Service via Zoom will be held on Thursday, November 20th at 10 A.M. Details and zoom information can be found on www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]