Courtney Erin Smith, 51 of Woodland Park, CO, passed away unexpectedly in Colorado Springs during the early morning hours of April 30, 2026. 

Courtney was born in Des Moines, Iowa on New Years Day 1975, to Alan Frederick Smith and Deborah Rohrmann Smith.  In May 1977, Alan’s job required us to relocate to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where we lived for a little over 3 years.  After that, we moved to Lilongwe, Malawi where we were posted for over 5 years.  She attended the Bishop Mackenzie British school in Malawi.  With a swimming pool on their campus, she became an excellent swimmer, and she acquired a British accent from her Dad, British teachers, and friends.  Upon leaving Africa in 1985, the family settled in Woodland Park, Colorado, and she attended the Woodland Park Middle and High Schools where she gradually lost her English accent.  In 1988 Alan accepted a job in Manhattan, and we reluctantly moved to Hightstown, New Jersey where she completed her high school education at Hightstown High School.  She worked as a lifeguard during the hot New Jersey summers.  Fortunately, she never acquired a New Jersey accent!

Courtney attended Iowa State University for 2 years before transferring to Western State College in Gunnison, CO.  She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Management.  After graduating, she worked as an EMT for AMR in Colorado Springs.  She also worked at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs as a cashier, membership clerk, and ride operator.  Later jobs included personal assistant and computer related tasks at which she excelled.  As a customer service representative for Alpine, she was touted as an elite representative who trained new employees.  She managed an online classroom site, served as webmaster for pet rescues, churches and schools, small businesses, club websites, and created websites to sell her homemade crafts.

Throughout her life, Courtney had travelled extensively, visiting numerous places in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.  She was a computing expert, an excellent needleworker and diamond painter, and was learning jewelry making.  She enjoyed doing Instacart with her mother to earn a bit of cash, and her mom will truly miss those outings.  She loved music, crafting, working with animals, True Crime mysteries, games that require logic and reasoning, and logic puzzles. 

Courtney is survived by her mother, Deborah, her aunt Margaret Williams Smith, her aunt Melinda Rohrmann Lorenzen, cousins Malcolm Smith, Trevor Allan Smith, Ashley Smith, Steven Smith, Michael Lorenzen, David Lorenzen, John Lorenzen, Steven Lorenzen, and many distant cousins.  She was predeceased by her father Alan, paternal Grandparents Fred and Lily Smith, maternal Grandparents Ewald and Madeline Rohrmann, uncle John Smith, aunt Pamela Rohrmann, cousin Shaun Smith, her Dad’s double first cousin Jean Smith Brittain, cousin David Brittain, and many distant cousins.  She is also survived by her two cats, Sparkles and Speckles, and foster cat Alice and her three kittens.  Also preceding her in death were her beloved best friends, Hunter, Callie, Skittles, Spooky, Salem, Midnight, Misty Rose, and Truffles, as well as her dogs Brandy, Jimmy, and Gorbie. 

No services are planned.  Ashes will be interred in Woodland Park Cemetery at a later date.  She adored animals, especially cats and dogs, so in lieu of flowers, if you wish to memorialize Courtney, a donation to Teller County Regional Animal Shelter (https://www.tcrascolorado.org/donate.html) or the pet rescue of your choice would be greatly appreciated.