Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Boulder City High student, 17, dies of heart condition

Boulder City High School senior Bethany Jenea Pupello Smith had lived with a heart murmur since she was a child, but she never let it slow her down, her father said.

Instead, until Sept. 20, when she died of complications of her condition at 17, "She lived every minute of every day," Larry Smith said.

The girl who was on both the varsity golf and swim teams during her high school career developed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which can cause sudden death in otherwise healthy-looking people, Smith said.

"Fortunately for us, we knew the problem, and we kept her as long as we could," he said.

"Bethany was a pretty special kid," said Regina Quintero, Boulder City High School athletic director and varsity golf coach. "She was always willing to go out of her way to help new players on the team,' she said.

Sara Carroll, her swim coach during her freshman and sophomore years, said she was well-liked among her teammates. Carroll said she had been told about the heart condition, but Bethany never acted like she was sick.

Quintero recalled that when a girl on the golf team lost her grandmother, Bethany went out of her way to offer her comfort.

Bethany was born Feb. 7, 1991, in San Bernardino, Calif., to Larry and Marcia Smith. She was a Girl Scout, a figure skater, and a gymnast.

Bethany was also an animal lover, according to her parents, and would have as many pets as she had room for.

Bethany was a writer and her dream was to be journalist. She wanted to share her view of life with the world, her family said.

Many students from Boulder City have added "Rest in peace Bethany" to their MySpace pages. "I love you and miss you," reads one page, another reads "I love you. You wont be forgotten."

Bethany's fellow golfers have continued to practice and are planning on attending their scheduled matches because, they believe, that is what Bethany would have wanted.

Larry Smith said the community has been supportive of the family since Bethany's death.

In addition to her parents, Brittany is survived by her maternal grandparents Joe and Kay Pupello of Las Vegas, and Rita Senn of Largo, Fla.; paternal grandparents Amos and Karen Parrish of Dade City, Fla.; aunts, uncles and cousins; Tyler D., who brought her a special comfort; and many friends.

A visitation will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Pavilion at Boulder Creek Golf Club. A celebration of her life will follow.

Donations may be made to the Bethany Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Boulder Dam Credit Union, account No. 67465002, 293-7777.

Arrangements were handled by Boulder City Family Mortuary.

Diana Cox can be reached at 990-8183 or [email protected].

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