Penelope Marie Smith, 76, of Garrison, died Oct. 31.
Born Jan. 18, 1945, in London, Penelope came to the U.S. at age 2 with her family aboard the Queen Elizabeth. She was raised in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, by Dennis and Norma (“Peaches”) (Westervelt) Wood.
She attended Neptune High School and continued her studies at Newark School of the Arts, Kutztown State College and Parsons School of Fashion. Penelope spent her 20s in the Lower East Side of New York City as an aspiring designer and illustrator.
She married Allen Jay Smith in 1971 and they moved to Brooklyn and Tarrytown before settling in Garrison in 1976, where they raised their children, Jocelyn, Wyatt and Caroline.
Penelope was a skilled, self-taught dressmaker specializing in heirloom bridal gowns. She was a member of the Philipstown Garden Club, a lunch-yard monitor at the Garrison School in the 1980s, a tireless hostess of Fourth of July parties and the proprietor of Knittingsmith in Cold Spring. She also embraced an unshakeable and joyful love of God, her family said.
Along with her husband and children, she is survived by her grandchildren Wiley, Maveric, Dodi and Scarlett.
Friends may call on Saturday (Nov. 6) from 1 to 4 p.m. at Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott St., in Cold Spring.
