Jane Elters Smith (1933 – 2026)

Jane E. Smith passed away peacefully on Monday, February 2, 2026, at her home in New York City. She was 92 years old.

Jane was born on September 23, 1933, in Passaic, New Jersey to the late Dr. Murray and Florence (Ouimet) Elters. She grew up in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey and graduated from Hasbrouck Heights High School as the salutatorian of the class of 1951. Jane went on to study at Cornell University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 1955.

Jane married Floyd L. Smith on February 18, 1956, in Rutherford, New Jersey. They lived in New York City where they both worked for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. Jane was an early computer programmer, writing applications for IBM mainframe computers until she retired in 1965 to raise her children.

Jane was an avid seamstress and knitter. As a young woman she made many of her own clothes, and later in life she became a passionate quilter. Many of her friends and family received gifts of quilts and sweaters for their babies, as well as a variety of other quilted creations, such as blankets, placemats, table runners, and wall hangings.

Jane was a devoted patron of the performing arts, enjoying the theater, ballet, and concerts. She took particular pleasure in the opera and, together with Floyd, attended hundreds of performances at The Metropolitan Opera since the 1950s.

Jane and Floyd enjoyed many summers on Fire Island at their home in Saltaire, New York. After Floyd’s retirement in 1990, they spent their winters in Naples, Florida.

In addition to her husband of nearly seventy years, Jane is survived by her two sons: Keith A. Smith and his wife Jackie C. Horne, of Cambridge Massachusetts, and Bruce E. Smith of Menlo Park, California; and by her granddaughter, Madelaine Horne Smith of New York City. Jane was predeceased by her parents and by her brother, Dr. Murray Elters, Jr.