In Memoriam of Joan Marie Smith Klitch
Joan Marie (Smith) Klitch (1934-2022) passed away on May 28, surrounded by her children Jenny Klitch, Jodi (Klitch) Bricker, and Tim and Barbara Klitch. Joan was a graduate of GHHS (1952), Miami University (1955), and OSU Law (1979). She spent most of her wonderful 88 years in Grandview/Marble Cliff where she and husband Richard (d.2021, married for 65+ years) raised their family. Joan grew up in Grandview on Haines Avenue with three brothers in a home filled with music, cards, sports, books, and church. Joan had a special fondness for her brother Terry Smith, and in the 1950s closely followed her two professional-athlete brothers, Ed Smith (basketball) and Gene Smith (baseball). Joan was active in the PTA, GHHS School Board, and served as Marble Cliff Clerk-Treasurer. She was a bridge Life Master, and helped her parents, Helen and Bryan Smith, at the Smith Bridge Studio on First Avenue. She was the mastermind behind husband Dick’s tennis successes at numerous Columbus facilities, including the Northam Park Tennis Courts in Upper Arlington. She frequently stated how lucky she was and that she had an amazing life. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of her family and the many people whose lives she touched with a kind word or deed.