Paulie (Barich) Smith

Pauline “Paulie” (Barich) Smith, aged 91, passed away on August 26, 2020 due to complications after a stroke. A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held for the family and Paulie will be laid to rest at St. Barbara’s Cemetery in Roslyn.

Paulie was born on January 20, 1929, the tenth child of Vance and Paulina (Paskvan) Barich, immigrants from Croatia who resourcefully raised 14 children to adulthood in the small mining town of Roslyn, Washington during the Great Depression. Paulie always participated in the arts throughout her life, and was known for her love of drawing and painting in her youth, she sang in both the church choir at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and the Cle Elum City Choir. Her granddaughters fondly remember the doll clothes she knitted for them in their childhood, one of the many crafts she excelled at. She loved the outdoors and was an active member in the Klahanie hiking group in Port Angeles, and also enjoyed gardening, birds, and a good game of cards- especially Pinochle and Cribbage!

Though her ability to express herself verbally had become more difficult in recent times, her love of the arts and cheerful personality shown through at her assisted living home, where she was known to be life of the party, dancing her heart out and instigating others to do the same. At age 91, she was still happy to jump on her grandson Nathan’s swing for a joyful swing.  Paulie was known for always taking a positive outlook on life—her favorite song Que Sera, Sera embodied her ability to remain positive and resilient throughout her life and enjoy each moment. She was an active member of St. Johns the Baptist Catholic Church in Cle Elum, Washington, the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.), and the CWU scholarship fund. She was extremely caring and loving, not only to her own family-- Paulie was also well known to regularly visit the sick in her community.

Paulie married Gilbert Smith on September 10, 1949 and they had five children, whom they raised in Port Angeles, Washington while running their family business, Smitty’s Fine Foods, followed by a career at Albertsons, from which she retired in 1994. They returned to their childhood home and settled in South Cle Elum. Paulie is preceded in death by Gilbert in 1995 and her son Douglas, who passed away in infancy. She is survived by her brother James “Pete” Barich and sister, Dorothy (Barich) Olson, her children Sharon (Smith) Rieder, Richard Smith, James Smith, and Susan (Smith) Carroll, her grandchildren Michael Smith, Richard Smith,  Alex Rieder, Lindsey Rieder Kim, Jacob Carroll and Nathan Carroll, her great grandson Leo, and a very large extended family. She will be greatly missed, but her family is happy to continue to spread the joy and love she has brought to all of them.

Memorial contributions in Paulie’s honor are suggested to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 303 West Second, Cle Elum, WA 98922.  Johnston & Williams Funeral Home and Crematory of Cle Elum has been entrusted with caring for Paulie’s family.  Online condolences may be left at www.johnston-williams.com

Recording of Funeral Mass: