Earle William Smith

True to his very nature, Earle did it his way...on his schedule and, right to the end, in control of his own narrative.

Born January 13, 1941, Earle grew up in Hamilton and the surrounding areas of the Niagara Peninsula. He attended Winona Public School and began his working life at Dominion Foundries & Steel Limited (Dofasco). But a different calling soon took him away from Ontario when he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Earle completed RCMP basic training in Regina, followed by additional training in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was in Halifax that something even more important happened...he met Pat.

Earle and Carman Patricia “Pat” Smith, a proud member of the Stoddard family originally from Clam Harbour, Nova Scotia, went on to share 63 years of marriage and built a family that became one of Earle’s greatest sources of pride.

One of Earle’s early RCMP postings took Earle and Pat to Amherst, Nova Scotia, where they spent five memorable years, forming friendships that would last a lifetime. Amherst became much more than simply another stop in Earle’s RCMP career. It became an important chapter in their lives together.

Those years were filled with good friends, early school days for the kids, and a farm…directly across the country road for them to visit whenever they wanted. Plus, an introduction to golf, and the occasional poker game with the local judge…mortician…Pepsi bottler…or other locals happy to take his money. And it was the start of early Saturday morning trips to the Amherst Arena.

Some of their happiest times were spent at the Amherst Shore, where long days on the sandy beaches often gave way to evenings gathered around beach fires with friends and family. The friendships formed during those years remained remarkably strong throughout Earle and Pat’s lives...a lasting reminder of how deeply Earle valued friendship, loyalty and the simple pleasure of time spent with people he cared about.

He was the son of the late Ruth Smith (née Cicely) and Harold Lewis Smith of Hamilton, Ontario, and brother to Helen Lyle and her husband, Jack, of Winona, Ontario.

Earle leaves behind his beloved wife, Pat; daughter Shelley McDonald (Randy) of Waverley; and son Greg Smith (Linda) who now live in Stouffville, Ontario.

He was a proud grandfather to Scott McDonald (Ashton) of Winnipeg; Cameron McDonald (Lisa) of Waverley; and Nicholas Smith, Benjamin Smith and Lauren Smith of Stouffville. He was equally proud of the next generation...his great-grandchildren Sullivan, Lily, Charles and Hutton.

Earle enjoyed a distinguished career with the RCMP, attaining the rank of Sergeant. His pride in the Force remained with him throughout his life, including his time as a proud member of the RCMP Veterans’ Association.

Following his RCMP career, Earle worked for a time with Forbes Chev-Olds in Dartmouth before joining London Life as a Financial Planner. He later completed his working career as a Commissionaire at the NATO Command Centre in Halifax...another role that reflected the sense of service and responsibility that defined so much of his life.

Away from work, Earle had many passions.

He was an avid golfer and longtime member of Brightwood Golf & Country Club, a competitive bridge player, and a ferocious reader who always seemed to have another book close at hand.

But hockey held a particularly special place in his life.

Earle was a well-known manager within SEDMHA and the Dartmouth Forbes Chevys AAA Midget hockey organization. He was especially proud to be one of the “Silver Seven,” the original seven founders of the annual SEDMHA Hockey Tournament.

What began in 1975 with a group of hockey dads, an idea, and some boisterous planning meetings around the Smith family kitchen table grew into one of the largest minor hockey tournaments in Canada.

Those early meetings are still remembered fondly...and perhaps loudly...by family members and neighbours alike.

For Earle, hockey was about far more than what happened on the ice. It was about friendships, teamwork, community, giving young people an opportunity, and being part of something that could endure long after the final whistle.

That legacy lives on.

A Celebration of Earle’s Life will be held Saturday, September 26th, at 10:00 a.m. at J. A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, Halifax. A reception will follow the service.

Family members, friends, fellow RCMP members, golfers, hockey players young and old, and all those whose lives crossed paths with Earle are warmly invited to join us for refreshments, memories and, most importantly, stories.

Because there are a lot of stories.

And Earle would probably want them told properly.

We would like to thank the wonderful staff of the Palliative Care Unit on 7A for taking such good care of dad in his final weeks. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Victoria General Hospital Palliative Care Unit 7A.

Earle lived a full life, built a passionate family, served his community and country, created friendships that lasted decades, and helped build traditions that will continue for generations.

He did it his way.

And those who knew him wouldn’t have expected anything else.