Goodbye, Simone

Yesterday the model horse hobby lost one of its earliest and founding members, Simone Smiljanic. While there were pockets of hobbyists around the country in the 1960s, it was Simone, along with her friend Ellen Hitchins, who helped us find each other and gathered us together into clubs, photo showing, and live shows that became more than the backyard gatherings they had been.

Simone Smiljanic in 1971 or so.

I asked two women who knew her well, Liz Cory and Nancy Kelly, to share a little bit about Simone with us. Liz told me,

I first met Simone at one of Marney Walerius' first live model horse shows. We were all crowded around a table in Marney's back yard to watch her judge. 

The whole process was so new to me, and I admired the way Simone deftly looked at each horse before assigning ribbons. I wanted to be like her some day.

I knew she was one of Marney's good friends, and I noticed how kind she was. I looked up to her and I thought I wanted to be like her some day. She knew horses, models, and she was fun and kind, too. She left us way too soon. We will miss her.

Liz owns Marney Walerius' photo albums and her photos are from that. I believe several of them may  have been taken by Nancy Kelly who also agreed to share a memory here.

Nancy shares,

She [Simone] was one of the four "pillars" of the model horse hobby, active since the late 1960s. She, along with Marney Walerius, Ellen Hitchins, and Linda Walter, helped lay the foundation for the hobby we know today. Her early newsletter Pony Express brought people together from around the country and she was an early model horse show organizer and judge. Her enthusiasm, energy, and wry sense of humor made her special. 

Ellen Hitchins and Simone Smiljanic, photo by Nancy Kelly.

She shared her knowledge of Breyers, Hartlands, and Hagen-Renakers with so many people and helped many friends build their collections.

Her health has not been good for several years, but over the last few months it really took a turn for the worse. RIP dear one.

Thanks, Liz, and Nancy. I know yesterday was a difficult day and appreciate you taking the time to write about her despite your sadness. I, too, was a friend of Simone's and will share a couple of thoughts in a day or two after I've had a little time to let the news of her passing settle in.