Jeannette's Smarto remembered for strong community ties, commitment to family

Janice Smarto made a name for herself in real estate and community service, but it was dedication to her family where she stood tall, her daughter said Wednesday.

Smarto, 82, died Aug. 10 from injuries sustained in a fall two weeks earlier in her Jeannette home.

“She was a spitfire and she was feisty and she was tough,” said daughter Jacquie Smarto Litrun. “But she also was very funny and was a workaholic. She loved entertaining and had a lot of pool parties at her house.”

Smarto spent more than 46 years working as a Realtor in Westmoreland and served a four-year stint as a member of the county’s Tax Assessment Appeals Board. At the time of her death, she sat as a member of the Jeannette School Board and on the Westmoreland County Airport Authority board, where she served for more than a quarter-century, including several years as its chairwoman.

Originally appointed to the airport authority in 1994, she served until 2003 and returned to the board in 2008 and helped oversee the facility’s growth from an airfield that primarily serviced private and commuter air service to being a commercial provider.

“She really loved the airport, and we’re really going to miss her,” said airport authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo. “I remember the first time we took her to the Rostraver (airport), it was about six or seven years ago, and she was just infatuated at what we had there at this smaller airport.”

Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas said Smarto’s professional and personal accomplishments will be missed.

“It’s a big loss, not just for her beloved hometown of Jeannette but for our entire county. Janice was ahead of her time, a very powerful woman when it was hard for a woman to be powerful,” Kopas said.

Commissioner Sean Kertes said Smarto’s contributions to Westmoreland County were invaluable.

“Her commitment to Westmoreland County was integral and undeniable,” Kertes said.

In addition to her work with the county, Smarto was a key player in the Jeannette community. She was named Woman of the Year in 1992 by the Jeannette Jaycees, was a former member of the Jeannette Zoning Hearing Board and was instrumental in community improvement projects, including helping to secure grant funding for benches at the city’s amphitheater.

“Affectionately referring to herself as the grandmother of the school board, Ms. Smarto brought a unique and invaluable perspective, grounded in her vast experiences and leadership roles across the city, county and state. Her wisdom, warmth and steady presence made her an irreplaceable member of the Jeannette School District family,” district Superintendent Matt Jones wrote in a social media post.

Smarto made her name in the real estate industry in Jeannette and throughout the region as owner of her own company. She later worked as office manager for Prudential Preferred Reality and continued to work representing clients after retiring.

She also served in various leadership roles in state and county real estate associations.

“She was a dedicated leader and a tremendous mentor to so many people who entered the real estate profession,” said Bill Lublin, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors. “She has left a lasting mark on our organization, on her community and the many homeowners and buyers she has worked with in her 46 years in the industry.”

Smarto Litrun said that while her mother’s work was important, caring for her family was her priority.

“One of her greatest passions was her cooking and her baking. She loved making cookies and had to be cooking all the time. She made the best meatballs of all time. She was a night owl and would stay up late at night to bake,” Smarto Litrun said.

Janice Smarto is survived by three children, nine grandchildren and four great-­grandchildren.

A funeral mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at Ascension Church in Jeannette. Interment will follow in Twin Valley Memorial Park. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Brain Trauma Foundation.