Gary Smith

Gary was born August 7, 1951 in Albuquerque, NM to Paul Danule and Leona Mae (Herrell) Smith. Shortly after Gary was born the family moved to Wichita, KS, then to Washington State. After graduation, Gary joined the National Guard where he served for seven years as a sharpshooter.

On June 14, 1977, Gary married the love of his life, Cheryl Case, in Allenspark, Colorado. They made their home in Milliken and had two children, Leona and Chris.

Gary was extremely skilled with his hands. In his work life, he did everything from make scopes for guns to building cabinets to driving all kind of trucks and operating feed mill equipment. Gary always did what needed to be done to take care of his family.

The mountains were by far Gary’s favorite place. He loved being outdoors. Every chance they got, he and Cheryl were in the mountains, camping, hiking or just going for a picnic. The weather did not matter. If there was a day open to go to the mountains, he would load the family into the truck and head up. Breakfast picnic around a campfire, lunch at Drake, it did not matter, if he could find time to go, we did! One day, his mother-in-law came along on a picnic. There was snow everywhere and she nearly froze, she said. She gave him a hard time about that for years. Gary loved to hike. One summer, he, Cheryl, and the kids camped and hiked a total of 38 miles in one week all around the mountains. After his health declined and he could no longer hike or camp, mountain drives became his way to enjoy them.

Gary battled health issues for several decades. Though in almost constant pain, he kept moving and doing to the fullest he was able.

Having grandkids brought “Papa Gary” immeasurable joy. Though he was not physically able to run with them, he made the most of time with them. Playing games, cuddling them in his lap reading a story or watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon marathon. His health difficulties seemed to pause whenever they were around! The last time he was able to talk to some of them was right before what would be his last surgery. Papa Gary called as they were prepping him for surgery to sing happy birthday to his youngest grandson. He passed the next morning and we hold that precious memory close.

Gary is survived by his wife, Cheryl; a daughter, Leona (Ben) Rood of Briggsdale; son, Chris of Milliken and grandchildren, Delila, Nathaniel, Rebekah and Alexander and his aunt, Lavina Wilcox of Denver.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Dan and Sharron – both of whom passed in 2020.

Memorial services will be held February 8, 2021 at 10 am at Kersey Community Church. The service will also be livestreamed and recorded and can be viewed on the church’s YouTube channel. An inurnment at Johnstown Cemetery will follow at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Kersey Community Church.