"Lainey" was the youngest child of Uriah "Rue" McMurrin Smith and Evelyn "Effie" Gray. She had 2 sisters Evelyn and Ruby and 1 brother Reed. As a young girl she started taking dance lessons and became very good, especially at tap. A couple of years after graduating from high school, she and 3 other girls (June, Penny and Lonnie) from Salt Lake became the "Savoy Dancers". They danced in and around Salt Lake and then they went on the road and danced in clubs all around the United States. It was while traveling on a train that Elaine met her future husband Jimmy. He was going home before being sent to boot camp in 1943. They corresponded for almost 3 years before he was discharged. Eventually the Savoy Dancers were able to join a USO troop and danced at military hospitals all over the U.S.A. They were in the process of auditioning to go overseas when the war ended. On Jan. 23, 1946 Elaine married Jimmy in her family home in Salt Lake. They immediately moved to southern California. They had two daughters, Melinda and Laury. She continued to enjoy dancing, was a Girl Scout leader and taught children in Sunday School classes for many years. She adored her 7 grandchildren. We really miss you Granny!
"Lainey" was the youngest child of Uriah "Rue" McMurrin Smith and Evelyn "Effie" Gray. She had 2 sisters Evelyn and Ruby and 1 brother Reed. As a young girl she started taking dance lessons and became very good, especially at tap. A couple of years after graduating from high school, she and 3 other girls (June, Penny and Lonnie) from Salt Lake became the "Savoy Dancers". They danced in and around Salt Lake and then they went on the road and danced in clubs all around the United States. It was while traveling on a train that Elaine met her future husband Jimmy. He was going home before being sent to boot camp in 1943. They corresponded for almost 3 years before he was discharged. Eventually the Savoy Dancers were able to join a USO troop and danced at military hospitals all over the U.S.A. They were in the process of auditioning to go overseas when the war ended. On Jan. 23, 1946 Elaine married Jimmy in her family home in Salt Lake. They immediately moved to southern California. They had two daughters, Melinda and Laury. She continued to enjoy dancing, was a Girl Scout leader and taught children in Sunday School classes for many years. She adored her 7 grandchildren. We really miss you Granny!
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