Esther Ragna Smith, 90, died March 26.

She was born to Danish immigrants Adolph and Ragna Krabbe, the youngest of four children in a prominant Bellingham family.

She spent a year at Oregon State College before traveling to Europe, where she studied at Grenoble, France.

She entered the University of Washington during the Depression, and there met her future husband Robert G. Smith on a blind date. She graduated in 1937 with a business degree, and two weeks later she and Smith were married.

Her husband was called to active military duty in 1940; he was stationed aboard a support ship at Pearl Harbor during the attack on Dec. 7, 1941. The couple were separated for many, many months during the war years.

After the war, her husband resumed his career with Shell Oil on the West Coast, and they moved several times. Except for a six-week stint as a secretary in New York City during World War II, Esther never worked outside the home, raising a family instead.

The couple had three daughters: Syliva, Janice and Louise. In 1959, they bought a home at Pleasant Beach on Bainbridge Island, and moved to Wing Point in 1981. Both avid golfers, they were active in Wing Point Golf Club activities. They were also members of St. Barnabas church.

In 1975, she and her husband made a 10-month trip around the world, visiting Europe, Africa, Russia, Australia and the East Indies. She spent every February in Hawaii.

She enjoyed gardening and was a member of the Lilian McEwan Arboretum Unit 26. She was a lifelong, master bridge player, and started the Duplicate Bridge Association that meets weekly at the Bainbridge Commons. She also enjoyed Joan Crawford movies and “a highball or two.”

She was preceded in death by her husband in 1982.

She is survived her daughters and their husbands, eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Remembrances can be made to Hospice or a charity of the donor’s choice.