Sandra Kay Smethurst

Sandra Kay (“Sandy”) Smethurst of Petaluma passed peacefully at home on November 15, 2023, from complications of colon cancer. She is survived by her husband Donald Duffala and by many relatives and friends in California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.

Sandy was born in Ogden, Utah on June 9, 1944, to Melvin Blaine and Helen Mae Smethurst. After her father’s discharge from the Navy, Sandy’s family moved to the Bay Area and settled in the city of San Mateo. Sandy graduated from San Mateo High School in 1962 and from San Jose State in 1966 with a B.A. in English. Sandy and her husband moved to the North Bay in 1982, eventually residing in Petaluma in 1990.

Sandy was employed in the Editorial and the Human Resources Departments of the San Francisco legal publisher Bancroft-Whitney and in the Administrative Office of Petaluma Valley Hospital. Until her retirement she was a technical editor for the Petaluma air-quality consulting firm Sonoma Technology Inc.

Sandy’s family and friends knew her as kind, caring, warm and welcoming. Sandy enjoyed reading, cinema, cooking, live theater, traveling, and participating in her SRJC Fitness Class. She was an accomplished equestrian, crafter, and quilter. Sandy supported and volunteered for many community projects and organizations as diverse as animal rescue and cancer research. She was an active member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and a major supporter of Cinnabar Theater.

Interment will be private; the family is planning a Celebration of Life to take place after the holidays. In her memory the family requests you donate to Hospice of Petaluma or to your favorite charity.