Lois Smart: Age, Children, Divorce, Career and Life Today

Lois Smart is an American author, former educator, and public speaker who became widely recognized as the mother of Elizabeth Smart. Her family attracted international attention following Elizabeth’s highly publicized kidnapping and eventual return home.

She is famous for supporting her daughter through an extremely difficult period and later sharing her family’s experience. Lois also co-authored a book with her former husband, Ed Smart, about their journey.

This article explores Lois Smart’s age, early background, education, professional life, marriage, six children, relationship with Elizabeth, divorce from Ed Smart, life after their separation, book, family connections, and current private lifestyle.

Profile Summary

Who Is Lois Smart?

Lois Smart is best known as the mother of Elizabeth Smart, whose kidnapping became a major national story in the United States. Lois was born on May 31, 1957, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Before becoming widely recognized through her family’s story, she worked in education. She later became an author and public speaker, using her experiences as part of her work and public appearances.

Lois spent decades raising a large family with Ed Smart. Although major events placed the Smart family in the public spotlight, she eventually chose a quieter lifestyle centered mainly around her children and grandchildren.

Lois Smart’s Age and Early Life

Lois Francom Smart was born on May 31, 1957. She is 69 years old as of 2026 and grew up in Utah as the daughter of Myron Francom and Jenny Francom.

Much of her adult life has also remained connected with Utah. Her upbringing eventually led into education, family life, and a career that included teaching-related work before she became known to a wider audience.

Lois later attended the University of Utah. Her life changed considerably after marriage and motherhood, especially when circumstances surrounding her daughter Elizabeth brought intense media attention to the entire Smart family.

Education and Professional Career

Lois Smart studied at the University of Utah before developing a professional life in education. She worked as an educator and also served as a district art specialist for the Jordan School District.

Her background in education was an important part of her life before her family became internationally recognized. Over time, however, her experiences as Elizabeth Smart’s mother also brought opportunities for public speaking and writing.

Lois eventually became associated with advocacy-oriented public appearances and storytelling about her family’s experiences. Her professional identity therefore includes work as a former educator, public speaker, and co-author alongside her responsibilities as a mother.

Lois Smart and Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Smart is the second of Lois and Ed Smart’s six children. She was born in November 1987 and later became internationally recognized as a kidnapping survivor, advocate, author, and public figure.

Lois played a major role in supporting her daughter and family during the kidnapping ordeal. The experience became one of the defining periods of her life and changed how the Smart family interacted with the public.

Years later, their family bond remained important. Lois has focused much of her life after the divorce on her family and maintains connections with her children and grandchildren, including Elizabeth and her three children.

Lois Smart’s Children

Lois Smart and Ed Smart raised six children together. Their children are Elizabeth, Mary Katherine, Charles, William, Andrew, and Edward Jr., making family life an important part of Lois’s personal story.

The Smart children were raised within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their family’s private world changed dramatically after Elizabeth was kidnapped, exposing parents and siblings to intense public attention.

Despite these difficult circumstances, family remained central to Lois’s life. After her marriage ended, she moved away from regular media attention and concentrated more heavily on her relationships with her children and growing number of grandchildren.

Lois Smart and Ed Smart’s Marriage

Lois married Ed Smart in 1986. Their marriage lasted for approximately 34 years, during which they built their family, raised six children, and experienced both private milestones and extraordinary public challenges together.

Religion was an important element of their household. Lois and Ed belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and raised their children within that faith while establishing their family life in Utah.

Their relationship also became connected with their public work after Elizabeth’s kidnapping. Together, they wrote about their experience and the role that family and faith played during one of the hardest periods of their lives.

Bringing Elizabeth Home

In 2003, Lois and Ed Smart co-authored Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope. The book tells the story of their family’s experiences surrounding Elizabeth’s kidnapping and eventual return.

The book focuses strongly on the family’s emotional journey. It describes their efforts to maintain hope and explains how faith influenced their response while they waited for news about their missing daughter.

For Lois, the book provided a way to share an intensely personal family experience with readers. It also became an important part of her work as an author and her broader public identity.

Why Did Lois Smart and Ed Smart Divorce?

Lois Smart filed for divorce from Ed Smart on July 5, 2019. Their separation came after more than three decades of marriage and marked a significant change for a family long associated with a shared public story.

Later that summer, Ed publicly announced that he was gay. He also explained that he no longer felt connected to the LDS Church in the same way and spoke openly about accepting his sexual orientation.

Ed acknowledged that the situation had caused Lois considerable pain. He described her as a loyal wife and extraordinary mother while expressing regret about the emotional impact that the end of their marriage had on her.

How Elizabeth Smart Responded to Her Parents’ Separation

Elizabeth Smart addressed her parents’ separation while emphasizing love and support for both of them. She explained that her parents had taught her the importance of unconditional love from an early age.

Although she was saddened by their separation, Elizabeth chose not to judge their personal decisions. Instead, she focused on supporting her parents and the other members of the Smart family.

Her response reflected the family values that had been central throughout her upbringing. It also demonstrated her desire to respect the personal nature of her parents’ circumstances during a major transition in their lives.

When Was Lois Smart’s Divorce Finalized?

Lois and Ed Smart’s marriage formally ended in December 2019. The divorce was finalized several months after Lois initially filed in July, officially closing their marriage of more than three decades.

Details of their divorce settlement remained private. Following the separation, Ed indicated that he and Lois were no longer speaking, while both moved forward with their lives in different ways.

Their lives became increasingly separate after the divorce. Ed continued speaking publicly about his personal journey, while Lois generally withdrew from media attention and concentrated on maintaining a more private existence.

Did Lois Smart Remarry?

Lois Smart has not announced another marriage since divorcing Ed Smart. Her life following the separation has remained considerably more private than it was during the years when her family regularly appeared in the media.

Rather than sharing details about her romantic life, Lois has kept attention on her family and personal pursuits. This quieter approach contrasts with Ed’s decision to discuss aspects of his post-divorce life publicly.

Ed eventually entered another marriage. Photos from his June 26, 2021 wedding were shared publicly, showing that he had begun a new chapter approximately two years after separating from Lois.

Where Is Lois Smart Now?

Lois Smart continues to live in Utah and maintains a relatively private lifestyle. She has largely stepped away from the level of media attention that surrounded her family during earlier periods of her life.

Family appears to remain an important focus. She has six children and is also a grandmother, allowing her life today to center more heavily around personal relationships instead of frequent public appearances.

Her occasional appearances have nevertheless kept her connected with Elizabeth’s story. These include participation in the 2017 Elizabeth Smart: Autobiography television mini-series and a podcast appearance several years later.

Lois Smart’s Life After Divorce

The end of Lois’s long marriage represented a major personal transition. After decades with Ed, she moved toward a more private lifestyle rather than regularly discussing the separation or her future relationships.

Her decision to stay outside the spotlight also makes her present-day life different from earlier years. During Elizabeth’s kidnapping case, public attention made privacy extremely difficult for the entire Smart family.

Today, Lois is primarily associated with motherhood, family, education, writing, and her experiences surrounding Elizabeth’s story. Her children and grandchildren remain an important part of this quieter chapter of her life.

Final Thoughts

Lois Smart’s story extends beyond simply being Elizabeth Smart’s mother. She is a former educator, author, public speaker, mother of six, and grandmother whose family experienced extraordinary public attention and major personal challenges.

Her marriage to Ed Smart lasted more than three decades before ending in 2019. Following their divorce, the former couple chose different paths, with Ed remaining more public while Lois gradually stepped away from attention.

Lois now maintains a quieter life in Utah focused largely on family. Her experiences as a mother, educator, and co-author remain central to the public story that has surrounded the Smart family for decades.

(FAQs)

How old is Lois Smart?

Lois Smart was born on May 31, 1957. She is 69 years old as of 2026 and was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Why did Lois Smart and Ed Smart divorce?

Lois filed for divorce in July 2019 after approximately 34 years of marriage. Ed later publicly came out as gay and discussed leaving the LDS Church.

Who is Lois Smart’s daughter?

Lois is the mother of Elizabeth Smart, a kidnapping survivor and advocate. Elizabeth is one of the six children Lois shares with her former husband, Ed Smart.

Did Lois Smart remarry after Ed Smart?

Lois has not announced another marriage since her 2019 divorce. She has instead maintained a private lifestyle centered largely around her children, grandchildren, and personal life.

What does Lois Smart do now?

Lois lives a relatively private life in Utah. She previously worked as an educator and district art specialist and later became known as an author and public speaker.

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