Yvonne Franklin Smith, of Langley, Wash., passed peacefully March 4, 2014 surrounded by her loving family. In attendance with her throughout her transition were her daughter Dana Consuelo of Virginia Beach, Va.; grandson Joshua Cutler, his wife Mary and Yvonne’s great-granddaughter Charlotte of Seattle; grandson Abe Cutler of South Korea, grandson Daniel Cutler of Langley, grandson Geoffrey Cutler of San Francisco and former son-in-law Sandi Cutler of Edmonds.

She was born Nov. 17, 1923 on a farm in Tahlequah, Okla., the seat of the Cherokee Indian nation. She spent her formative years in the sunshine state of California. She was of English and Cherokee descent.

Her career of more than 30 years included working in the nation’s capitol where she was a correspondent for NW newspapers, a press secretary for Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon and a legislative assistant to Congressman Al Quie of Minnesota. Quie gave her Indian Education Legislation to handle. After traveling extensively to visit and interview tribal leaders, she wrote legislation for the Indian Education Bill that passed in 1978. In the same year she was given an award by the tribal leaders of the Indian Education Association to thank her for her work on their behalf.

She retired to Cambria, Calif., in 1983 and then moved to Whidbey Island in 1991 to live nearer to her family and to write her memoirs.

The family is grateful to her friend and assistant Vickie Anderson for all her loving care these past few years — to Thanatologist Claudia Walker, for her gift of harp music, and Annapoorne Colangelo for her prayerful presence and to all Yvonne’s friends in the Brookhaven community.