Barbara Burnett Smith -- RIP

In a post to DorothyL today, Patsy Asher, of San Antonio's Remember the Alibi, says that Barbara Burnett Smith died in an accident in San Antonio Saturday night. Barbara and her husband there to rescue a dog, and when they visited Remember the Alibi, the dog ran from their car and into the street. It was raining and dark, and apparently Barbara stepped into the street to catch the dog. She was hit by a car and died in the hospital.

I'm still in shock over this. I've known Barbara for at least 15 years, and she was one of the nicest people you'd ever hope to meet. She was lovely and perky and a very talented writer. She was also the former daughter-in-law of another fine mystery writer, Thomas B. Dewey, whom she credited with helping her quite a bit when she was starting out.

I don't really have much more to say, except that the world is a poorer place without Barbara in it.