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Jason Pitzl-Waters on Jul 30th 2008 at 5:01 am Uncategorized

Denessa Smith 1965 – 2008

On Monday, Denessa Smith, well known in the Pagan community for her activism and commitment to tolerance, passed away after struggling with complications relating to a recent gall bladder surgery. Smith is perhaps best known as the mother of Tempest Smith, and founder of the Tempest Smith Foundation, an organization dedicated to fostering tolerance and eliminating teen bullying.


Denessa and Tempest Smith

Smith’s road to activism started with tragedy in 2001 when her daughter, Tempest, then 12, committed suicide due to unrelenting bullying triggered in part by her adherence to Wicca.

“Daily, students surrounded Tempest singing “Jesus Loves You” and other hymns in a mocking gesture. Her choice of clothing was scrutinized as being “Goth” though, according to Denessa, Tempest seldom wore black. Even taunts such as “Wiccan whore” and “Satan worshipper” were regular occurrences.”

Smith, an Agnostic, partnered with the local Pagan community, and started speaking in public about the need to eliminate bullying. For schools, parents, lawmakers, and community members to work together to build a more tolerant world. A world where Tempest’s tragedy isn’t repeated. In turn, she became a pillar of support within her community, and a beacon of hope to teens feeling trapped in the nightmare world of bullying, intimidation, and intolerance.

In addition to Denessa Smith’s work with the Tempest Smith Foundation, she has also spoke out for organ donation, supported charities benefiting Pagans in need, worked with the Order of DeMolay, and participated in the Meals on Wheels program.

“Her work in the community and with The Tempest Smith Foundation will be a lasting tribute to the difference one woman can make. Denessa devoted her energy and her drive towards making our community a more tolerant place and her impact will stay with us.” – The Magical Education Council

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 3rd, from Noon to 8pm at the American Legion Hall, 1430 Southfield Rd, Lincoln Park, MI. The Magical Education Council has provided a comments area for those who wish to pass a message on to Denessa Smith’s family.

May the gods bless her, may she be reunited with her daughter and know peace.

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3 responses so far

  • songtoisis

    I had the honor of meeting Denessa during her work for the Tempest Smith Foundation. She was a force of nature–charismatic, warmhearted, and fiercely courageous. Goddess bless her and those she left behind. She truly left the world a better place for having walked and worked upon it.

  • John W. Morehead

    What a sad story. Thanks for sharing this. I was not previously familiar with her work, and the loss of her daughter. This especially hit home for me in that my wife had gall bladder surgery not long ago, and I lost a teenage son to suicide three years ago as a result of a struggle with self-identity, depression, and bipolar. My heart goes out to the family and I wish her foundation continued success in supporting religious education and tolerance.

  • Jan

    July 28th of this year (2011) will be the 3 year anniversary of Denessa's passing. Having come across this web site, I informed Annette (Denessa's life partner when she passed) of the erroneous information regarding how Denessa died. Annette asked that I clarify the information. Denessa never had issues regarding her gall bladder. She passed away due to complications from surgery for excess skin removal and went into organ failure. It is still unclear why things reached a toxic level in her system, and we may never know. We do know that in the big scheme of things, what matters is the significant loss to all of us in her passing. But we just felt that the clarification should be made. Thank you. Jan