April 11, 1975 - July 19, 2020
It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share with you the passing of our son, David Smith. Born in Edmonton, Dave is survived by his parents Margaret and Ken, a sister Skylar and a brother Darren.
Dave was in attendance at the University of Alberta when he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He struggled daily with this unrelenting illness for most of his life, but always showed great courage, perseverance, and humor in the face of tremendous adversity---- valuable life lessons taught to us and to all who knew him. Dave had a true zest for life and was a very talented musician, mastering both the guitar and piano. He admired the group Steely Dan, and enjoyed every opportunity to sing karaoke, especially Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville! But nothing exceeded his capacity of love for: family, friends and animals. Having resided in Mexico for a period of time, Dave also developed a deep love of the Spanish language, Mexican food and culture, which he maintained till the very end. Employed by Winners from their opening day, Dave truly enjoyed and appreciated both his employment and the staff camaraderie. A gentle and caring soul, Dave will be missed very much by family and friends.
Dave will be cremated, but due to the COVID situation there will be no service at this time. We wish to extend a special THANK YOU to the hospital staff in both Salmon Arm and Vernon, who were so caring and compassionate! In lieu of flowers or gifts, we would request that donations be made in Dave's name to either: the BC Schizophrenia Society, at: http://bcss.org/ (preferably for research), or to the Shuswap Hospital Foundation at: http://shuswapfoundation.ca/donate/ (specify for purchase of ICU equipment).
Online condolences may be sent to Dave's family through his obituary at www.bowersfuneralservice.com