We Say a Sad Goodbye to B. Smith, Empire Builder and Groundbreaker

Damn, she was something. A true renaissance woman. She tried her hand at everything and built an impressive, multi-faceted empire along the way. But when she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers in her late 50s, she shared her struggles with the world so we would know and understand and so her insights might help other families.

This short summary of the life of B. Smith, who died this weekend from Alzheimers, hardly seems adequate. How do you capture a whirlwind in just a few lines? Maybe the best description of her accomplishments and spirit came from Smith herself: "I think that if Martha Stewart and Oprah had a daughter, it would be B. Smith.”