Kristi Smith Hernandez was born in Portland, Oregon on October 5, 1950 and died in Saratoga, California on June 21, 2025. She is survived by her husband, Laurence Hernandez, Mark (Beverly), Leslie (Jon), and her five grandchildren - Lincoln, Walton, Ronin, Liam, and James, Siblings Krin Henderson (Dan) and Bryce Smith and Jesse Smith (nephew). Kristi is preceded in death by her mother, Idella Smith, and her father, Ralph Smith.

Kristi graduated from Gresham High School in 1968. She graduated from Pomona College with a bachelor's degree in Botany in 1972. During college, she interned for the National Park Service at Yosemite. She also worked for the US State Department. Kristi interned at Ely Lilly, Indianapolis, during her tenure at the Stanford Business School. Kristi graduated from Stanford Business School with an MBA in 1980.

Kristi had a love of travel that took her around the world. After business school she embarked on an expedition through Alaska and Denali National Park. She portaged and canoed across Canada one summer. She took our family on adventures to the Yucatan Peninsula, which entailed exploration of Tulum, Cobá and Xcalak. Adventures through England and France, and one memorable trip through Italy in 2006 when Italy won the World Cup. Together, Kristi and Larry, traveled to Amsterdam, London, Bruges, walked the Camino in Spain, Italy, Budapest, Prague, Buenos Aires, Chile and had a love for the Hawaiian islands.

Professionally, Kristi had a diverse career. After graduating from Pomona College, she was an Inspector/Investigator and a Public Affairs Officer for the US Food & Drug Administration in San Francisco. She was a Product Manager for Gold Medal Flour at General Mills in Minneapolis and a Product Manager at Del Monte in San Francisco. She transitioned to forensic accounting and spent over 20-years in the field at a practice in San Jose, California.

Kristi was an active philanthropist with numerous causes that were important to her. She was active with the Junior League of San Jose, she coached for Special Olympics, coached soccer for AYSO, supported her son's Boy Scout troop, and was deeply involved with the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaler, serving as Commander of the St. Joseph Commandery. Kristi was a member of the Board of Directors of the San Jose Symphony Foundation. Kristi was a founding member of Project Redwood, an all-volunteer, nonprofit founded by her class at the Stanford Graduate School of Business that raised millions in funds and made grants to poverty alleviation projects around the world. She served in many roles over 20 years -- as Co-chair of the organization, as Executive Director, as Co-chair of the Development Committee and on many other teams and committees. She also used her exceptional organizing skills to plan many Project Redwood annual in-person meetings. She was instrumental in assuring Project Redwood's continued growth and in creating a legacy of improving the lives of millions worldwide. Her dedication was appreciated and she was universally loved by her Project Redwood colleagues.

Kristi was a vibrant member of the community and the center of our family. She was generous, inclusive, joyful, funny, and incredibly kind. She loved to garden, cook, travel, and spend time with her family. She loved being a grandmother to her five grandchildren. She was a fighter to the very end. We will miss her deeply as we continue her legacy of social impact and community engagement.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Kristi's honor to one of the nonprofit organizations that was important to her: Project Redwood, Opera San Jose, San Jose Symphony Foundation, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), Planned Parenthood, The League of Women Voters, or Special Olympics.