Mary Smallwood 's Obituary
Mary Frey Smallwood passed away at her home on Monday, August 27, 2018 with her daughters by her side.
She was born on July 12, 1947 in Ft Myers, Florida to Melvin and Margaret Frey. The oldest of three children, Mary grew up with her sister, Carolyn, and her brother, Bill. The great-granddaughter of pioneers who settled in Ft. Myers in the late 1800s when it was a tiny outpost with less than three dozen families, Mary loved the old Florida that exists today largely in memories. She instilled in her children her love of the natural beauty of her native state.
After graduating from high school, Mary attended the University of Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in 1969, and, perhaps more importantly, cemented her life-long love of the Florida Gators.
After moving to Tallahassee and starting a family, Mary attended the Florida State University College of Law and graduated magna cum laude in 1977.
Although she joined the practice of law at a time when there were few women in the profession, Mary had a distinguished legal career. After graduating from law school, she joined the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, where she quickly rose in the ranks to become the agency’s general counsel. After leaving the agency, Mary became a partner in a private law firm, and she practiced environmental and land use law for more than 25 years. In addition to her work in private practice, Mary was an active member of the Florida legal community. She published numerous articles, journals, and treatises, and she presented regularly on environmental, land use, and administrative law. It would be impossible to list all of Mary’s contributions to her profession, but her consequence is perhaps best summed up in an annual report of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of the Florida Bar, in which the group reported that “if Mary Smallwood didn’t show for the annual update, no one knew anything about air quality for the next year.”
In her retirement, Mary continued to give back to her community as a regular volunteer at the Leon County Humane Society, and a member of the board of directors for the Friends of St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge.
In addition to all her other achievements, Mary raised two daughters. Although she loved to tease her daughters that they were lucky to have a mother who was always right, she ultimately taught them how to believe in the worth of their own opinions. She was as loving a mother as she was fierce an attorney, and she took a special joy in her three grandchildren. Her family will remember her for her incredible strength of character. Her life was defined by her tenacity, her intelligence, and her love of family.
Mary spent the last year of her life battling illness, and she faced it with the same will and determination that defined the rest of her life. Although she ultimately lost that last battle, she left behind an example of courage and strength for all those who loved her. Mary is survived by her daughters, Stephanie and Katy, her three grandchildren, Stephen, Julia, and Oliver, her brother, Bill, and numerous other family members and close friends.
There will be a service for family and friends at Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Rd, Tallahassee, Florida 32308, in the Jubilee Cottage on Sunday, September 2, 2018. Guests are invited to pay their respects between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The family will provide a short remembrance at 3:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in Mary’s name to the Leon County Humane Society or the Friends of St. Mark’s Wildlife Refuge.
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