Sara Elizabeth Hoyt Smith

Sara Elizabeth Hoyt Smith died February 28, 2020.

Her parents were Ida Elliott Hoyt and Richard Juliand Hoyt.

Sara was raised in Greene, NY, and graduated from Greene Central School and SUNY Albany. She married George W. Smith in 1955. They lived in Johnson City, NY, Holland, Michigan, and Schenectady, NY, before settling in Scotia, NY, where they started a family. As they moved around America, Sara did office work for an insurance company, a newspaper, and later for a private investigator. In Michigan, she taught elementary school. Sara and George lived in Branford, CT, for several months and then in 1967 they moved again, this time to Woodstock, NY.

In Woodstock, Sara became a Library volunteer. She served on the early Book Committee, the Friends’ Board, and in the Book Barn where she worked for over 35 years, sometimes in charge, sometimes as one of the crew. After a year of living part time in Ossining, NY, where she volunteered in the publicity department of the Ossining Public Library, Sara and George returned permanently to Woodstock, where Sara continued at the library and also volunteered on the crisis line at Family of Woodstock. Although she left a regular shift in 2000, she continued to substitute at Family

for several years. During this time, Sara worked as an office temp for the Kingston City Schools, ManPower, and for a brief time for IBM.

She was a long-time freedom Writer and Partner of Conscience for Amnesty International USA, and she and George were strong supporters of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, in memory of their wonderful dog, Beaver.

Sara and George were also members of Treat the Troops, a nationwide organization of people who send home-baked goods, mostly cookies, to deployed service men and women. In return, they received emails, letters, and phone calls from service members all over the world.

Sara is survived by her younger sister and brother-in-law Marylee and Monte Martin of Sidney, NY, and their children, Gretchen Elizabeth Smith of Dallas, Jeffrey and Misty Smith of Houston, and Kristin and Michael Haber of Kingston; their grandchildren Jeffrey and Sean of Kingston, Casey, Colin, and Sara of Houston, Janelle of Oklahoma City; and great-grandchildren Everett of Oklahoma City, and Gemma and Halie of Houston.

Sara loved her children and was pleased by the adults they have become. She also loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her childhood friends, reading, ice cream, her time and friends at the gym, early morning walks, and her garden. She felt great fondness and admiration for her friends at Family of Woodstock, and for the wonderful staff at the Library, and was always happy working among the people and books in the Book Barn. She enjoyed getting older and she loved George most of all.

Burial will be at Sylvan Lawn Cemetery in Greene.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sara Elizabeth Hoyt Smith, please visit our floral store.