Obituary of David Smith

Life Legacy David Alexander Smith passed away peacefully on November 7, 2019, surrounded by his family at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife Betty Ann (McGrath) Smith, his son Scott Smith and daughter in law Erin Smith, his sister Margie Dorcas (Dow) and his two grandchildren Samuel and Emmett Smith. He was predeceased by his parents Lloyd Smith and his mother Edna (Bell) Smith as well as his brother and close friend William (Billy) Smith. Dave was born in Campbellton, New Brunswick and grew up in a tightly knit family in the north shore community of Dalhousie, New Brunswick. Over the years we heard many stories about life in Dalhousie and his close relationships with his siblings and family. He eventually left Dalhousie to pursue higher education (after a brief interlude in the Sanatorium for a tuberculosis infection) and went to the technical college in Moncton to study engineering technology. He met, fell in love with and married Betty Ann McGrath in 1968, and that was that. They had 51 years together, in love, raising their son, travelling, building, moving (a lot), and laughing (also a lot), it was a good match. Their son, Scott, was born in 1971. Dave spent the next 48 years teaching him about life. It wasn’t nearly long enough, but he learned a few things. They were inseparable throughout his life, and shared many hobbies and common interests. His first job as an engineer was working for Irving Oil doing deep sea blasting from a barge at Cannaport. He soon settled into his lifelong career working as a signing manager for the provincial government. He worked for several decades as the manager at the Department of Transportation sign shop in Fredericton, and later in his career they tapped his extensive knowledge and expertise to establish, build and manage the British Colombia’s provincial sign shop. When he retired he returned to Fredericton to be with his friends and family. Dave had a large network of friends and family and spent most of his spare time (especially after his retirement) trying to make their lives better. He woke up every morning with a smile and a project, and for those of us fortunate enough to know him, those projects changed our lives in innumerable ways. An engineer by training, his skill set went far beyond and he seemed to be able to plan, create, build and repair nearly anything you can imagine. He did these things as a challenge, but mostly as an expression of his love for family and friends. All you needed to do was give Dave an idea, and he would take it from there. He changed our lives one job at a time. Dave had many skills and hobbies, but his greatest passion was fly fishing. He spent nearly every summer fishing in New Brunswick’s iconic salmon rivers; he was a licensed guide, a conservationist, an accomplished fly tyer, and an enthusiastic teacher. He was fortunate enough to share one of the finest fishing years of his life with his close friend and fishing partner Dale on the Restigouche River in 2019. His family would like to thank the staff at the Chalmers Hospital for their support, especially the staff in the ICU who took wonderful care of him when he was so acutely ill. We would also like to thank Dr. Tom Barry who was his trusted family doctor for many years. Dave has requested cremation, and there will be a private gathering for family. As a memorial, and to support the community that he loved, donations to the Fredericton Food Bank or Fredericton Community Kitchen would be appreciated. Personal condolences may be offered through www.yorkfh.com