On December 25, 1968, a beautiful baby girl was born into this world, Lisa Renee Bogan.  Her parents, Authur and Nadine, along her sister, Valerie, welcomed their new family addition with open arms, hearts and souls to their home in the San Fernando Valley, California.  Lisa’s elementary years were spent in attendance at   Village Christian School, where she first began to learn about Jesus Christ.

Lisa had a wonderful childhood. Although she grew up a “Daddy’s Girl,” the relationship that formed between her mother, her sister and she would shape her and sustain her for the rest of her life.  It was often said, that whenever the three of them were together, there were two mothers and one daughter in the room.  The role of the daughter switched constantly.  Her early years were spent running around and getting dirty with the neighborhood kids (“Little girls don’t have to be prissy” – Renee Smith) and watching cartoons on Saturday morning.  This trend would continue throughout her entire life.  During her adolescent years, Lisa would eventually take up Karate (“All little girls should know how to defend themselves.” – Renee Smith) where she ultimately achieved the level of a Brown Belt before retiring her Gi.  As a child, Lisa developed a love for the outdoors that never went away.  There wasn’t a morning that passed without her checking the weather so that she would be the most prepared to enjoy any outdoor situation.

It was during this same time that she began to forge friendships with individuals, some of which manifested into life-long partnerships, one of which her future husband.  Lisa completed her grade school education in Southern California before moving on to University of California, Santa Barbara to get her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics.  Now going by her middle name, Renee completed her formal education in St. Louis, Missouri at the Olin School of Business at Washington University where she’d received her Masters in Business Administration. 

On March 10, 2001, while attending the wedding of one childhood friend, Renee caught the attention of another friend, Mr. David D. Smith.  What began as a slow dance to reminiscence and catch up on old times, culminated in late night phone calls (like they did in high school) and frequent flier miles to spend more and more time together as they grew closer.  She later told him that she phoned her sister the morning after the wedding and told her that she’d found her husband.  It turns out that she was right, as they were married the following year on June 8, 2002 in a private beach ceremony in Carmel, California.  This wonderful union would be spoken of as joyful, a sight to see, a true example of how a marriage should be.  Renee’s love for her husband flowed from within her soul and anyone who spent time in their presence could sense their supernatural connection.  Already having one son, Christopher Alexander, from David’s previous marriage, the union of Renee and David produced two additional offspring with the arrival of Preston Malcolm in 2005 and Xavier Joshua in 2007.  Renee loved all three of her children, and she gave her ALL to make sure they always knew it.  David would jokingly comment to his wife that she snagged him and made him her husband.  She would respond and say, “No, you swept me off my feet and gave me a family.”  Renee loved her husband and their young men with every fiber of her existence and made sure that they knew it every single day of her life.

Renee ascended from this place on May 27, 2014, leaving behind her husband, David; their three sons, Christopher, 18; Preston, 8; and Xavier, 7, to continue her legacy.  She is also survived by her parents, Arthur and Nadine Bogan; sister, Valerie Bogan-Briley and her husband James.  Additionally, she has left her mark on the hearts and souls of family and friends across the world.  It took only a few seconds in her presence to feel the power of love and dedication contained within her and once you got to know her, you had a friend for life. 

The memory of Lisa Renee Smith will go on forever.  No Saturday morning will be the same without her presence while watching cartoons.  No holiday meal will be the same without her holiday smile.  In honoring her, always remember that she was someone who pursued a righteous life, a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, and courtesy.  She ran hard and fast in the faith.  She seized the eternal life, the life she was called to, the life she so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.