Dana Baratta 1960 – 2020 LOS ANGELES – Dana Baratta passed away peacefully Oct. 18, 2020, bringing to a close a career living and screen writing in Los Angeles, Calif., which she did with determination and passion. Dana’s writing covered various genres, but her most important work was an epic tale covering nearly 60 years. Dana wrote, directed, produced and starred in this amazing adventure. It was a tale about a small town girl who loved to entertain people and make them smile. Against all odds, this character, a strong woman with a loving, soft side, made her way to Los Angeles, and wrote words that entertained millions. Of course there was the fairytale love interest. The handsome, devoted, leading man was played by her husband, David Smith. It was a romance that, watchers of this production, were envious of. True love just never goes out of style. This strong woman made a mark, and was life changing, on the cast of thousands. A common refrain in this script was “I wouldn’t know my wife, or I wouldn’t have met my husband, or I wouldn’t have my career”, or any number of life altering things. She asked for very little and gave all she had. Even when the chips were down, she started every morning with her patented loud, “good morning!”. Dana loved this amazing woman character, and absolutely played this part in a flawless performance. The show had an ending that all would expect Dana to write, “live a great life”, she said, and exited with a smile. Dana was predeceased by her mother, Elizabeth Ham Baratta and her father, Alfred Baratta. She is survived by her husband, David Smith; her stepsons, Mathew Smith and his wife Jen, and Michael Smith. Also survived by her sister, Lise Baratta and her brothers, Mark Baratta and David Baratta. Dana worked passionately on awareness, detection and a cure for Ovarian cancer. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to support the Dr. Beth Y. Karlan’s Research Advancement Fund. Please make checks payable to “The UCLA Foundation” indicate the gift is in memory of Dana Baratta in the memo line and mail it to UCLA Health Sciences Development Attn: Heidi Saravia P.O. Box 7145 Pasadena, CA 91109-9903. Feel free to contact Heidi Saravia at (310) 206-4565 or hsaravia@mednet.ucla.edu with any questions. Or gifts can be made on line at http://giving.ucla.edu/ovariancancerresearch