Judith Parke Smith, 69, built long career as retail ad representative for The Bee
Judith Parke Smith, a longtime top retail advertising saleswoman for The Bee, died July 5 of cancer, her family said. She was 69.
Ms. Smith joined The Bee as a circulation clerk in 1964 and went on to become one of paper's first female ad representatives. A go-getter who stood out as a statuesque redhead with a vivacious personality, she had many longtime clients and won many awards selling ads for the California Life home and garden section.
She retired in 1999 and ran a property management business. Besides traveling to Santa Barbara, Hawaii and Canada, her favorite pastimes included hunting for bargains at garage sales.
"She was all business at garage sales," her companion, Walt Wiley, said. "She had a sack of quarters and a stack of dollar bills, and she knew how to deal."
Ms. Smith was born to Evelyn and Samuel Jones in 1942 in Akron, Ohio. She moved with her family to Citrus Heights in 1959 and attended San Juan High School. She was divorced from former husbands Dale Parke and Ben Smith.
Survivors include her son, Edward Parke of Sacramento; sisters, Sharon Martin of Odessa, Texas, and Jane Wilson of Modesto; brother, Lee Jones of Redwood City; and two grandsons.
A memorial service is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Trinity Cathedral, 27th Street and Capitol Avenue, Sacramento.
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