Anne Smith Oostdyk

Anne was born on November 6, 1951 in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. She was the oldest daughter of Anne Marie (Jenny) and David Patterson Smith. While her father was in the military, moving the family every few years, Anne spent parts of her youth in several different states, cities, and even a short time in Germany, before the family settled in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anne and her husband Charlie both had an avid interest in astronomy, which led to them being introduced to each other in 1984 at an Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) meeting. In March of 1989, Anne married Charlie in Atherton, CA and relocated to his home in Orange County, California, where she lived until her passing. Anne is survived by her husband, Charlie Oostdyk, their two children, Jenny (Tim) Armstrong and Chuck Oostdyk, her sister, Cass Smith (Barbara Tobin), and her niece, Cora Tobin-Smith.

Anne will be remembered for her love of astronomy, but even more so for the love, kindness, compassion, and understanding she had not only for her family, but for any person who crossed her path. Anne was a warm-hearted and caring woman who always put others before herself, a unique soul who affected so many of us for the better. She will be immensely missed by her family, the Orange County Astronomers, and other friends. Though her physical self has faded away, her legacy will remain in our hearts. “There is a link that death cannot sever.”

A memorial service will be held Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:00 at Westminster Memorial Park Mortuary, 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683. Anne will be laid to rest on Friday, January 14, 2022 at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, Outreach International, or Doctors Without Borders.

However, the greatest legacy Anne could hope for is for you to be kind to one another and help those in need around you as you can, just as she did in life.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.westminstermemorial.net for the Oostdyk family.

Excerpt from “The Sad Truth” – Tyler Kent White

Though everything in life seen as important returns to dust

"…the parts of yourself that you gave away

in soft smiles and gentle hellos

that changed the trajectory of another person’s life

those will stay

and in the pulse of the earth

you will remain.”