Gary Dennis Smith, born August 5, 1945 in Vancouver, BC, beloved husband of Liz, father of Mike and Jen, brother of Diane (Yona), Karen (Thomas), and Judy (Steve), uncle and friend, passed away on December 26, 2009 after a courageous battle with colon cancer.
Gary grew up in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver, served 3 years in the Canadian Navy and graduated with a BSc in Geology from UBC. He had a wonderful career in mining in Logan Lake, Kitsault, Tumbler Ridge, Nova Scotia and Irian Jaya, Indonesia.
A world traveler, Gary remained a devoted resident of the North Shuswap, the place he loved the most. Gary spent more than 26 years as a volunteer Firefighter and was the assistant Fire Chief of the Celista Volunteer Fire Department. He was also active in a number of other community groups.
He will be greatly missed by his family and everyone who knew him. He was a very special man who took a genuine interest in the lives of everyone he met.
A celebration of Gary’s life will be held at the North Shuswap Community Hall in Celista at 2 pm on Saturday, April 24, 2010.
Thank you to the North Shuswap First Responders, the BC Ambulance Service, and the skilled and caring doctors and nurses at the Chase Clinic, the Scotch Creek Clinic, Royal Inland Hospital, Shuswap Lake General Hospital, and Vancouver
General Hospital.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Gary’s name to the BC Cancer Foundation or to the charity of your choice.