Peter Graham Smith

Peter Graham Smith (Pete) passed away at St. Catharines General Hospital on December 2, 2006 at the age of 28 with his family by his side after a courageous battle with Lupus.

Pete was born on August 18, 1978 at St. Catharines General Hospital, St. Catharines, ON. He was the second in a set of twin boys. When the boys were about a year old, they moved to Red Deer, AB. From day one, Pete was full of energy and curiosity. The boys were active, and from an early age, when they were put in their cribs for the night, would take all the sheets off of the bed, as well as their pajamas and diapers, and throw them on the floor. They quickly learned how to get out of their cribs, and would go in search of snacks during the night. They loved the taste of butter. One morning, the boys weren’t feeling well, and a butter wrapper was discovered under their bed. They had eaten the whole pound. The other incident that comes to mind is when they snuck out of bed, and poured pancake syrup all over the cat, and then added cat litter to the mix. When they were almost 3, they welcomed their younger sister, Stephanie. This brought new excitement, as the boys now had a new toy. The kids could often be found riding their St. Bernard, Helga, or on the snow mobile with Dad.

At the age of 5, they moved back to St. Catharines. As Pete started school, he also found an enjoyment for soccer as well as baseball. It was in grade school that Pete met his lifelong friends Ian MacLeod and Andrew Ovenden. As Pete got a little older, he started collecting stamps. He also learned how to cook, something he enjoyed very much. He would later turn this into his career. He joined the 613 RCAC Army Cadets, and later went back as a Civilian Instructor. During his time in Army Cadets, Pete received an award for “Most Outstanding Cadet”. He was chosen out of ten thousand cadets.

During the last few years of school, Pete started working in restaurants, learning to cook, and testing out his new skills on his family. He worked in various restaurants, settling at East Side Marios.

It was during his time at East Side Marios that Pete became ill. He spent a lot of time being tested, but they were unable to diagnose him. He then decided to move out to Alberta, hoping that the change would do him good. He moved to Fort Saskatchewan, and settled in quickly at his Uncle Karel and Aunt LeeAnn’s. He became fast friends with his cousins, and quickly got a job at East Side Marios in Edmonton. Over the next year, Pete spent a lot of time seeing Doctors and being tested, and was finally diagnosed with Lupus.

He made many trips to Lacombe to spend time with his Dad, Bobbi, Courtney and Evan, and shortly after that, decided to move to Lacombe and stay with them. Pete was very proud to be asked to be the best man at his father and Bobbi’s wedding.

He got a job cooking at Boston Pizza, and amazed them with his skills. He worked there until he once again became ill and had to be hospitalized. After a lengthy stay in the hospital, Pete found that he could no longer work the hours he had been, so he stayed home until his health allowed him to work again. During this time he did a lot of research on restaurants in Alberta, wanting to know where the best ones were, as it was always his dream to cook in a five star restaurant. He was able to realize this dream when he got a job cooking at the Fairmont Chateau in Lake Louise, AB. He moved there and lived in the staff residence. He loved living in the mountains and working in the hotel. His stay there was short, as he became ill again and spent time in the hospital in Banff, AB.

Pete came back to Lacombe, and after careful consideration decided to go back to Ontario. Upon arriving there, he soon hooked up with his friends Ian and Andrew again. He tried to go back cooking, but was unable. He decided to try something a little different, and got a job with his brother Michael in a foundry. Pete was unable to do this as well. He continued to get sick off and on for the next year. In November of 2006, Pete was admitted to the hospital again. He would stay there until December, when he passed away.

Pete had a very caring nature. He was a member of the Fonthill Baptist Church for many years. He traveled to Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic on a mission to build a schoolhouse. Pete and Andrew also traveled to Montreal during the ice storm on a food drive. He enjoyed hanging out with his family, and became very close to them before his death. Pete liked to travel light and experience all that life had to offer.

He leaves to mourn his loss his parents Wayne and Bobbi Smith and Nellie Ringma, his twin brother Michael Smith, his younger sisters Stephanie Smith, Katrina Ringma, Courtney McCarvill, and younger brother Evan McCarvill, his maternal grandparents Peter Ringma and Trudy Bovens, Uncles and Aunts Karel and LeAnn Ringma and Frans and Brenda Ringma, Cousins, and a host of friends. Pete was predeceased by his paternal grandparents Graham and Mary Smith, and his uncle and aunt, Jack and Kay McManus.

Cremation has taken place. A Service to celebrate Pete’s life was held at 1 p.m. in the chapel at the HULSE & ENGLISH FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 75 Church St, (905) 684-6346 on Tuesday December 5th, 2006 with Rev. Russell Myers officiating. Pallbearers were Michael Smith, Ian MacLeod, Andrew Ovenden, Phil Ovenden, and Brandon Cavanagh. The organist was Corrie MacLeod. Musical selections were “The Lord is My Shepherd”, “When I Get Where I’m Going”, and “Great is Thy Faithfulness”. Pete was laid to rest at Victoria Lawn Cemetery, St. Catharines, ON. In memory of Pete, donations to the Lupus Foundation would be greatly appreciated by his family. Memorial tributes may be left at www.mem.com