Sarah Hoffman Smith passed away on May 25, 2026, in Vero Beach, Florida, surrounded by her three adoring children. Born on October 20, 1942, in Huntington, West Virginia, she was the daughter of Dr. Charles Anthony and Margaret Lynn Hoffman. While most of her life was spent in New York and Florida, she took pride in her small-town roots. Her once orphaned father, who rose from country doctor to president of the American Medical Association, instilled in Sarah a sincere sense of humility, the importance of hard work, and an eternal optimism.
The youngest of three sisters, Sarah was raised in a household of six women, including her grandmother and aunt. She attended the Marshall Laboratory School in Huntington, where she fondly recalled riding her horse, Sugar Plum, to town and to school for amusement. As a freshman, she was elected prom queen before matriculating at the Madeira School in McLean, Virginia, where her beloved sisters, Joyce and Lynn, had previously enrolled. Thereafter, she received a degree from Bennett College in Millbrook, New York, in 1962. Her yearbook profile quoted the adage: “T’was surely the devil that taught women to dance.” With a natural spring in her step, Sarah touched everyone she encountered with her twinkle, warmth, and festive spirit.
Following a stint in the marketing department at the Miss U.S.A. Beauty Pageant, Sarah joined the advertising agency of Geyer, Morey, & Ballard in 1963. Glamorous and chic, Sarah was known for her wrap dresses, Gucci heels, a dash of N5 Chanel perfume, and a signature grosgrain ribbon tied in her hair. Foreshadowing the show Mad Men five decades later, she would rise from secretary to an account executive. During her advertising career, which saw her transition from Richard K. Manoff to Kenyon & Eckhardt, her national accounts included Lincoln Mercury, Air France, and Welch’s Grape Juice.
After marrying Frederick Middleton Rotan Smith, Sarah moved to Bronxville, New York, where she devoted herself to being a mother. Beginning with Frederick Middleton Rotan Smith, Jr. in 1973 and followed by Margaret Smith Warden in 1974 and Charles Lister Smith in 1979, Sarah’s children became the focal point of her life and were her greatest treasure. Unfailingly positive, optimistic, and inviting, everyone gravitated to Sarah. The Smith kitchen became the center of neighborhood activity; everyone was welcome, and she embraced the chaos with laughter and glee. This would become a theme in every Smith home over the years.
In Bronxville, where she met some of her dearest friends, Sarah found her true professional calling in interior design. Having co-founded Greenfort Interiors in 1981 to redesign a hotel into timeshares in Barbados, she launched Sarah Smith Interiors after moving back to New York City. In the ensuing three decades, Sarah went on to decorate private homes from Maine to Mexico, each stunning creation exuding her warmth, whimsy, and exacting eye that was captured in multiple publications.
Throughout her life, Sarah always made time for the causes and places she cared about, serving on the Bronxville School Elementary Council and the New York Philharmonic Council. She was a longtime member of The Colony Club in Manhattan and of The Fishers Island Club on Fishers Island, New York, where she cherished summers. Known for hosting casual gatherings, such as Royal Wedding TV viewings at sunrise, with family friends and fresh donut holes, and “Ma Smith’s 4th of July Weiner-Fest,” Sarah thrived on adventure, friends, and fun. She subscribed to the “more the merrier” approach and believed in abundance when it came to decoration, food, and fun. Unassuming and unintimidating, Sarah’s good cheer and penchant for offering compliments and praise were persistent. She saw the bright side of any situation and displayed unfailing courage and grace. Even in her darkest moments, she pressed forward, held her head high, and flashed a smile.
In 2003, Sarah married George Vernon Coe III of Middleton, New Jersey. A close friend from her early days in New York City, George was a loyal husband until his untimely death in 2010. After five decades in the New York City area, Sarah moved in 2017 to Vero Beach, Florida, where she spent her final years at the John’s Island Club, delighting in the warmth, enjoying the sound of the ocean, and eagerly looking forward to visits from her children and grandchildren. She started planning for Christmas in January, her closets exploding with gifts stockpiled for those she loved.
Sarah is survived by her three children, son-in-law, Robert Goodwin Warden, and four grandchildren, Maxwell Wilson Warden, Eloise August Warden, Nicholas Hollingsworth Warden, and Elizabeth ‘Lily’ Goodwin Warden, in whom she delighted. Brimming with cheer, warmth, and praise for anyone she encountered, Sarah will be remembered for her unwavering optimism, profound resilience, and loving nature. She was unafraid of death.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, July 17, at 11:30 am at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Fishers Island, N.Y., with a reception to follow at The Fishers Island Club. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to the Henry L. Ferguson Museum, 1109 Equestrian Avenue, # 554, Fishers Island, NY 06390, or the Island Health Project, 370 Central Avenue, # 344, Fishers Island, NY 06390.
