In the Sep/Oct 2019 issue of Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge, Smith W. Hartley shared with readers he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, stating that “finding out you have brain cancer is an interesting perspective.” HJBR Sep/Oct 2019 (healthcarejournalbr.com)
He passed peacefully on Sept. 16, 2021.
Hartley’s interest in health, healthcare, philosophy and well-being culminated in launching US Healthcare Journals in 2007. The Journals provide insight to the healthcare industry in local markets and include Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge, Healthcare Journal of New Orleans and Healthcare Journal of Arkansas. He graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Health and the University of Houston, Clear Lake with an MHA/MBA. Prior to launching the Journals, Hartley’s career ranged from running group practices in Houston to overseeing healthcare of 2,000+ inmates at New York City’s Rikers Island, which he found fascinating. After a back injury, Hartley found yoga and became a certified vinyasa yoga instructor, teaching a peaceful practice. At a height of 6’6”, he “towered” over the class.
He married Dianne Marie Normand Hartley in 1989. They shared a love story and mutual respect as both advanced in their individual careers, hers in media, his in healthcare. In New York, Dianne worked for the Discovery Channel. They ultimately combed efforts to launch US Healthcare Journals.
They lived in New York City during the 911 attacks, and were separated for days as the bridges and tunnels were locked down, while he was at Rikers Island. He was then asked to became part of NYC’s Emergency Task Force, an underground master control bunker set-up for emergencies.
Hartley was a graduate of Broadmoor High School’s class of ’85 in Baton Rouge, La., where he excelled in sports. He was on the 4A Louisiana State Basketball team and earned a football scholarship to Texas A&M, where he played on several Southwest Conference Champion teams as a tight end.
When Dianne was asked by TAMU former head coach, Jackie Sherrill, if there is a donation to a cause Smith would like, she replied, “We have donated Smith’s brain to the University of Washington. They will be analyzing it for CTE, among other things, which will take time. If there is a CTE connection, Smith’s request is that we might move to create or support a foundation so college athletes can get assessed easily and better treatments developed. In the meantime, I think everyone should treat themselves to a very nice meal with someone they love and raise a toast, if you like, to Smith, who I am sure is having a good time, wherever he is.”
The Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at UW Medicine utilizes donated tissue through its BioRepository and Integrated Neuropathology (BRaIN) laboratory to conduct research and broad sharing of biospecimens and data. CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) is a disease associated with traumatic brain injury, one of the many illnesses studied by the laboratory. was Hartley one of the first brain donors to undergo cutting edge rapid autopsy MRI by Christine Mac Donald, MD, professor at UW Medicine, neurological surgery. According to C. Dirk Keene, MD, professor and service leader of neuropathology at UW Medicine, laboratory medicine and pathology, “Brain donation is the greatest gift one can give to science; Mr. Hartley’s incredible generosity will help propel critical brain research locally and nationally for many years to come.”
Hartley’s joie de vivre was contagious, and some of his last words were, “I hope everyone just has a good time. I never understood why everyone was so uptight. I enjoyed life.” He was diagnosed in 2019 with glioblastoma while living on Kaua’i and decided then to spend the remainder of his time in Seattle, which was a city on his bucket list. Hartley collected close friends from each phase of his life. The last two years of his life were enveloped in love as friends and many family members came to Seattle to pay respects, share a laugh, and enjoy the moment.
Hartley had a full-body burial at sea in the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington, on Sept. 22, close to where he was born. Two boats filled with loved ones accompanied the body.
Dianne Hartley said, “He will be missed dearly, but as he used to say, ‘Life is funny this way.’”