Vicki Lynn Smith

Vicki Lynn Smith, 68, of Orlando, Florida, passed away Sunday, July 9, 2018 in Marietta, Ohio as the result of a sudden fall. Vicki was born in Dayton, Ohio on January 6, 1950 and was adopted 5 days later by Ann Ramsey and Richard Kemp Smith, who predeceased her. She was also predeceased by her husband, Robert L. Persons, and her first cousin (raised as her brother), Lt. Col. H. Arthur Quigley. She is survived by another first cousin (raised as her brother), Robert W. Quigley (Virginia) of Ft. Myers, FL, and first cousins, Lt. Col. Robert E. Smith, Jr. (Hertha) of Oakton, VA, and Suzanne S. Dickinson (Robert) of Raleigh, NC. She is also survived by a large succession of cousins and many friends.

Vicki was raised in her early years in Dayton, OH and subsequently the rest of her school years in Cape Coral, FL. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the University of South Florida and her Masters Degree in Nursing Administration from The University of Alabama Birmingham. She worked all her adult life as an RN in various capacities in Colorado, Alabama and Florida.

As several people have described Vicki, she was a free spirit and her own person, but she was devoted to her parents and her husband and loved her family and her host of friends across the country. She was actively involved in the Orlando Center for Spiritual Living where she found her solace. She loved music and dancing and followed several bands and singers on their tours. Vicki loved a party! She kept in shape with exercise at 24 Hour Fitness.

Having come from a boating family, Vicki’s passion was outboard boat racing. Although she was not a driver, she owned racing boats and traveled all over the country attending and competing in boat races as a part of the American Power Boat Association circuit. Under the guidance of her father, “Skipper”, her team won several national titles. She was extremely enthusiastic when it came to boat racing and her friends and associates in the boating world were as much or more like family than her relatives.

There will be a Memorial Service held Thursday, August 23, 2018 at 7:00 PM at the Orlando Center for Spiritual Living, 709 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32804. There will also be Memorials in the mornings of August 25 and 26, 2018, prior to The Dayton Record Runs boat races in Dayton, OH. A graveside service will be held on November 7, 2018 (time TBD) at Woodland Cemetery, 118 Woodland Ave., Dayton, OH 45409, for any family or friends who wish to attend. Memorials may be sent to the Orlando Center for Spiritual Living.