Kelly Alayne Klingbeil Smith, 53 years of age, passed away on July 17, 2024 at Yuma Regional Medical Center. She had been battling various ailments over the last several years and those ailments became serious in March of this year, and she passed away peacefully surrounded by her friends and family.
Kelly was born March 5, 1971 in Duluth, Minnesota to Charles and Alanna Klingbeil. She was the oldest of three children and is survived by her sister. Kelly graduated from The New York State University at Buffalo in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and moved to Washington, D.C. to put her degree to work. While in Washington, DC., she earned a Master’s Degree in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University and worked for the US Department of State and Fujitsu Limited. She decided to pursue a law degree and graduated from The University of San Diego School of Law in 2000. As an attorney, she worked for the Cochise County Public Defenders Office in Bisbee, Arizona, had a private practice in El Centro, California and Yuma, Arizona, and was a judge with the Quechan Indian Tribe.
Kelly was married to Todd Smith in 1993 and their lovely daughter, Sophie, was born in 2012 from this union. As a family, they have lived in Virginia, California and Arizona. The family settled in Yuma, AZ in 2019. Kelly loved to spend time with her friends and family and loved to help and serve the communities that she lived in. She was a caring person and loved to help those in need through her law practice and various community organizations.
Kelly leaves behind to cherish her loving memory her husband, daughter, father, mother, sister and a host of family and friends.
