Obituary: Teen political, social activist Lili Smith dies

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Lili Rachel Smith (pictured), whose spirited refusal to accept the bounds of physical disability won her the friendship and admiration of some of the nation's top political leaders, died Saturday of natural causes, her family said. She was 15.

Lili was the daughter of leading Democratic political consultant Averell "Ace" Smith and his wife, veteran Democratic fundraiser Laura Talmus of Kentfield. Smith ran Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaigns in California and other states and the 2006 campaign of State Attorney General Jerry Brown.

"Lili Smith was a beautiful girl," former President Bill Clinton said in an e-mail to The Chronicle. "She was taken from her family and friends far too soon. As Hillary and I got to know her, we were increasingly amazed at her endless capacity for kindness and generosity."

Clinton added that Lili "never let her own disability keep her from living her life and touching the lives of others. She was a wonderful person who will be greatly missed."

Born with Apert's syndrome - a congenital disorder characterized by malformations of the skull, hands and feet - Lili required extensive and often painful surgeries at birth and at regular intervals during her life.

Lili died in her sleep at a boarding school in Iowa, her family said.

Despite the considerable physical challenges, Lili - with the strong encouragement of her parents - became an energetic activist in social and political issues and a seasoned campaign insider, working with her father in Texas during the 2008 presidential campaign.

In a family steeped in politics, Lili distinguished herself and won countless admirers by proving "the most natural politician of them all," said Democratic consultant Dan Newman, a longtime partner with Smith in the San Francisco firm SCN Strategies.

At one point in the 2008 presidential race, she confidently "reassured Hillary Clinton that the candidate was in good hands with her dad running her California operation," Newman said. "Before long, there were Lili-Hillary bumper stickers" with Lili listed first, "of course," Newman said.

Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers, called Lili "a wonderful example of how kids with special needs ... can be out there, in front."

Lili was an energetic activist for causes she believed in - including equality, human rights and global injustices, her friends and family said. Her bat mitzvah ceremony included a speech lauding "my friend," San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, for creating a refuge for women, many of them ex-prostitutes and victims of domestic violence.

As a member of the Marin County Youth Leadership Commission, Lili became an advocate for children with special needs in the Marin County School District.

Before attending the Scattergood Friends School in Iowa this year, Lili was homeschooled in Marin County.

The family asks that contributions be made to the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, the Breast Cancer Fund in San Francisco and Scattergood Friends School in West Branch, Iowa.