Winifred Smart Quackenbush was born on March 17, 1932, and died on September 15, 2017. Born in Neptune, New Jersey, Wini Smart was a watercolorist and oil painter of marine and landscapes, many of them scenes of Maine, and her specialty was watercolors. She was also a muralist, bas-relief sculptor, and illustrator including "Early History of Toms River and Dover Township." She studied at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, the Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, and the Art Students League in New York. Smart lived half of the year in Maine and half in Florida. She had painted in beautiful places in Europe and along the eastern seaboard of the United States, but she continually returned to an island off the coast of Mount Desert, Maine, her "spiritual home." Here she renewed her inspiration each year to capture the essence of the island, the spirit and feeling of the place. Listed in "Who's Who of American Artists and Who's Who of Women, Miss Smart maintained two galleries, one in Northeast Harbor, Maine, for 40 years; another in Boca Grande, Florida, since 1980. Her interest in history resulted in painting many historic murals, illustrating local histories, and she was co-founder of Cranberry House, a historical museum on Great Cranberry Island, Maine. She illustrated and wrote many publications for the Historical Society to benefit the museum. Until her death in 2017, Miss Smart continued an active life of traveling, painting, and overseeing the museum on her favorite island. Miss. Smart married Fred Quackenbush in June 2010. Wini passed peacefully at the age of 85 surrounded by her loving family after a long illness. She graduated from Pt. Pleasant Beach High School, NJ, and attended the Philadelphia College of Art and the Art Students League of New York City. Her paintings are in private and public collections in nearly every state and in Europe, Canada, and South America. She generously donated much of her art work to many charities. Wini founded Smart Studio Art Gallery in Northeast Harbor in 1967 and the Smart Studio Gallery in Boca Grande, Florida, in 1982. She helped establish and was President of Freehold Art Society of NJ and Boca Grande Art Alliance of Florida. In 1984, Wini moved to Great Cranberry Island and co-founded the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society's museum. She served as president for many years and was dedicated to preserving the island's history writing many publications. She wrote several books including her autobiography "A Long Long Way". She painted eight historical murals depicting the Revolutionary War which are on display in NJ. She and her husband Fredrick founded a mission in the Dominican Republic called "Real Kids in Need". She was predeceased by her parents Lewis and Belle Smart, her brother Nicholas, sister Louise, son Charles, two grandchildren Ruth and Sean. Wini is survived by her husband Fredrick R. Quackenbush, children Deborah Martinez, Diane Polky, John Diehl, and Gail Cleveland-Waite, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren, and sister Miriam Bryan. She was a member of the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande, FL, and an associate member of the Cranberry Island Community Church.
