Lida Nelson Smith was born Lida Louise Whitesel in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1930 to Harry and Pauline Whitesel. Lida had two younger sisters, Harriet and Rachel. The family moved to New Jersey and ultimately Ohio, where Lida graduated from Oakwood High School in 1948.

Lida began her undergraduate studies at Barnard College in 1948, then transferred to Pennsylvania State University in 1949. Lida later went to Bard College where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1952. Lida enrolled in the graduate studies program at Sarah Lawrence College in 1952 where she received a Master's Degree in Dance in 1954.

After graduating from Sarah Lawrence, Lida moved to New York City, where she studied with the renowned pioneer of American modern dance, Charles Weidman (from 1954-1955), and later became a member and solo performer of the May O'Donnell Dance Company (from 1955-1959). May O'Donnell had been a leading dancer with the Martha Graham Company before forming her own dance group. Lida was also an instructor in Modern Dance at Hunter College in New York City from 1955-1959.

After a brief 2-year marriage that was annulled in 1961, Lida met Charles Smith (Irish Studies Professor and Theater Director at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania) and moved to Philadelphia. Lida taught briefly at the Philadelphia Dance Academy 1963 and was ultimately hired as a full time Assistant Professor of Dance at West Chester University in 1966 (in West Chester, Pennsylvania). Lida also married Charles in 1966 and gave birth to her only child, Edmund, in 1969. Lida remained teaching at WCU until her retirement in 1990.

Charles died in 1995 from esophageal cancer. Lida then moved to Seattle, Washington in 1995 to be closer to Edmund, who had moved there himself in 1992. Edmund married Teresa Redd in 2003 and the couple had a daughter, Kathleen Rose Smith, in 2009 (Lida's only grandchild). Lida later relocated to Mount Vernon and ultimately Stanwood, Washington in 2014.

During her years in Western Washington, Lida worked with several local dance programs (such as the Dance School in Everett) to rehearse and direct productions of Modern Dance, most of which were based on her own choreography.

During her final year, Lida bravely faced several health challenges, but ultimately passed away peacefully on January 1, 2019 at the age of 88. She is survived by her son Edmund Smith, daughter-in-law Teresa Redd, granddaughter Kathleen ('Katie Rose') Smith, sister Rachel ('Buffie') Jordan, step-sons Patrick Smith and Vincent Smith, step-daughter Mary Jane D'Arville, 5 nieces, 2 nephews and several cousins.

Lida was a kind and wonderful daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, sister, teacher, aunt and friend. She will be missed by all who knew her and she will live in our hearts forever.