Dolores H. Smoot
December 1, 1930 ~ May 29, 2026
Born in:
Souderton, Pennsylvania
Resided in:
McLean, Virginia
Dolores Jean (Hope) Smoot died on May 29, 2026, after a brief illness. She was 95 years old.
Dolores, known to most as “Dee,” was born on December 1, 1930, to Edna and Rudolph Hope in Souderton, Pennsylvania. She grew up there, attended Souderton High School, and later matriculated at Pennsylvania State University, where she graduated in 1952 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
After college, Dee moved to Washington, D.C., where she began work at Woodward & Lothrop in the clothing buying department. One evening at a party, she met Henry Smoot, her future husband — and, as the family always heard, it was love at first sight. In a reflection of a different era, they married after a courtship of only three months. Their marriage, on January 15, 1955, would last more than sixty years, until Henry’s death in 2016.
Together they built a life in McLean, Virginia, where they raised their two children, Patricia Ann (Smoot) Costantino and Charles Barton Smoot. The family first lived on Benjamin Street before moving to Menlo Road, where Dee and Henry would remain for the next fifty years. Dee devoted herself to raising the children and caring for the home, creating a warm and steady center for the family.
She was active in the McLean Garden Club, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and River Bend Golf & Country Club, where she was known to swing a golf club from time to time. At St. John’s, she served on the Altar Guild for decades and was also a key part of the church’s annual Antiques Show.
Dee and Henry loved to travel, both while raising their family and even more so after the children had “flown the coop.” She was also an avid Penn State football fan who eagerly followed recruiting news every summer, never missed a game on television, and occasionally attended in person.
Dee was known for having clear opinions and never hesitating to express them. She famously knew the White House call-in number by memory.
She is survived by her son, Charles Barton Smoot; her daughter, Patricia Ann Costantino; her granddaughter, Julia Ruth (Costantino) Ralston; her grandson, Marco Costantino; and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Brawner Smoot; her sister, Thelma Stevens; and her brothers, Robert Barr and Rudolph “Lloyd” Hope.
She will be remembered for her devotion to family, her strong opinions, and her lifelong loyalty to Penn State football.
A memorial service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 6715 Georgetown Pike, McLean on August 1, 2026 at 11 AM. A reception in her memory is planned immediately afterwards at River Bend Golf & Country Club. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either St.John’s Episcopal Church https://www.stjohnsmclean.org/ or to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. https://alzfdn.org/
Services
Memorial Service: August 1, 2026 11:00 am
St. John's Episcopal Church
6715 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101
703-356-4902
https://www.stjohnsmclean.org/
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Bob Gallagher
Funeral Director