SMITH, Lorena "Rena"
BAYVIEW - The death of Lorena Mae "Rena" (Porter) Smith occurred Friday November 26, 2010, at the age of 71.
She died in her home she loved on Three Brooks Road, Pictou County, following a heroic struggle with rapid/aggressive leukemia, comforted by her husband and friend for 28 years, Murray.
Rena believed in celebrating life, not celebrating death. Her wishes were cremation, no visitation, no funeral, and a "bluegrass music-filled celebration" memorial service at a later date.
Rena, born in Bayview, left home in her teens for independence and a new life in Ontario. She married and raised two daughters while she worked as a telephone operator and then a machine operator in a plastic extrusion bottle factory. But her joy career was managing a Tandy Leather outlet in Burlington, Ontario. She was amazingly talented in carving leather and gave classes while managing buying and a customer list well up into the far north.
She loved bluegrass music and was active with the Skyway Bluegrass Club from 1970 until 1981 and served as Secretary Treasure from 1978 to 1981.
When she moved back to Pictou County she organized and ran the Pictou County Pickers with her husband, Murray, from 1985 until 1993. During this time she tackled learning to play the banjo, forming a loose group called Lynches River Bluegrass Band with some local and Cape Breton friends. Rena played banjo and guitar and had a wonderful singing voice and fantastic memory for lyrics. She was co-contributor with her husband to the Bluegrass Canada Magazine 1989 to 1994. "If not for my involvement with and love of Bluegrass, I would never have learned and continue to learn to play a Bluegrass instrument. The Festivals are my favourite part of Bluegrass. Over the years I've met so many interesting and wonderful people and am overjoyed to get to play music with some of them when we meet again. But most of all, if it wasn't for my interest in Bluegrass, I would probably have never met Murray, the greatest love of my life." - Rena Smith
Rena is survived by husband, Murray; daughters, Laurel Arbuckle, Peggy (Jocko) Crerar; mother, Laura Porter; grandchildren: James, Laura, Hayley, Jessa, Walter, and Fraser; brothers and sisters: Dawn (Jean) Porter, Angus Cameron, George (Charlotte) Cameron, Jim (Donna) Cameron, Margie (Ed) Perry, Charlie (Darlene) Cameron, Brenda (Leigh) Steele, David (Jenny) Cameron, Cliff (Janet) Cameron, Shirley Cameron, Everett (Dale) Cameron. She is also survived by father-in-law, Everett Smith, New Glasgow; sister-in-law Hannah; brother-in-law Bill (Donna); uncles and aunts: Martin (Lois) Porter, Marion Langille, Sadie (Chester) Babcock, Kenny Porter, Willa (Alan) Coulter, Willie (Verna) Porter, Milton (Mary) Porter, and Peggy Franklin and many nieces and nephews.