Stanley Edwin Smith

Stan grew up in Nebraska, the oldest of 4 children born to Reverend T Elmer Smith & Florence Vern (Voas). The family moved often to new pastorates within the Methodist Church. The big move was to Dunsmuir, California, when Stan was 14. He tells of helping fight fires during the summer, and in winter getting out of school to help shovel snow from roofs of homes. His parents were dedicated to driving him down to Redding for piano lessons every week. Before his Senior year, the family moved to San Jose.

He married Shirley Neece and then was drafted into the Army serving in Stuttgart, Germany. Later in life, it was gratifying for him to reconnect with friends from Dunsmuir, College and Army buddies.

He completed college grateful for GI Bill funding. He graduated from San Jose State College with a Master’s Degree in Music Composition.

He was quickly hired by Antioch USD and began teaching choir first at Antioch Jr, then Antioch High Schools. During this time he and Shirley had Laura, Les & Brad. Laura died of cancer in 2015 leaving behind her husband David Gschwend and their two sons, Luke & Marc.

His next significant venture was teaching at Los Medanos College, newly built in Pittsburg. Not only did he teach choirs, but also Music Lit and a GE Class. Stan was the first music instructor to take a sabbatical; he studied the use of MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) for the college. He was served a year as president for MACCC (Music Association of California Community Colleges). He retired from LMC in 1973 after teaching there 19 years.

While there he began a Gospel Choir. That turned into his long term ministry, Psalm 100. Psalm 100 began as a short term Gospel Choir that performed 5 times over one weekend. The singers enjoyed it so much they wanted to continue; but not under the auspices of the college. So in 1977 they became a non-profit Community Choir serving the East Contra Costa County. They would rehearse in a local church for 8 weeks in the Spring then present multiple times in various churches for two weekends. Then repeat this schedule with new music in the Fall presenting initially to local churches and prisons; but that grew to singing wherever invited to thruout Northern California. The group retired in 2008 after 30 years of singing, dancing, speaking and acting in 360 presentations. Members dressed in period costumes and banners were made, bell choirs were incorporated. Originally Stan purchased ‘canned musicals,’ but later preferred compiling a set of anthems and writing the narrations according to his desired theme. Sharon also created videos to go along with the music. He also composed 2 musicals – one themed around Nature, the other around People. Stan often spoke of the amazing crew, mostly singers in the group,

who also helped tirelessly in creating costumes, set pieces, setting up power light bars and spotlights, and then tearing it all down and hauling into a special trailer awaiting the next weekend.

During this time they were attending church in Davis where he was invited to teach Choir to middle schoolers in the newly created Christian School. He created MIDI stations where students composed or compiled music and created videos for class projects. He believed middle school students didn’t know what they couldn’t do, so they ended up creating beautiful videos set to music and text. He retired from this job in 2007.

In 1996 he was invited to be the interim director at GHCC. He was asked to serve from September thru Christmas by which time they anticipated they would have hired a new Director of Music. In December they asked him to stay thru June. Then asked to stay one more year. Then they changed the job description for a new music director. Phil Hill joked he was the longest short-term employee ever! The Christmas musicals were extraordinary, and the year-end parties were highlight events. He retired from this position in 2007

He didn’t seem to grasp the idea of retirement – altho he frequently said how much he liked to sit on the deck and ‘watch the grass grow.’

He started a choir at the COC, the Community Outreach Center ministry our church offered. He was halted only after health issues prevented continuing; he was in his 80s.

From his youth hiking and camping were favorite activities. He hiked from his home on Field St, Antioch to the top of Mt Diablo.

He especially loved Yosemite. The first backpacking trip of the season would be as soon as school was out. He hiked many peaks. Stan & Sharon’s honeymoon was to climb Mt Conness, 12,600’ peak. He skied down from the summit without skis.

Sharon basically fell her way down the glaciated top. Stan & Sharon often packed alone, but many trips included family members or friends.

He also loved going to deserts camping in Death Valley, Zion, Bryce.

He enjoyed planting a garden, tending it and then harvesting the bounteous crops and all manor of fruit and nut trees. He helped cure olives, collected honey from the beehives he built. And raised rabbits for a while.

He learned to pilot, joined a flying club and loved flying around Northern California to eat lunch or take friends to play for them in fiddle contests. He flew to Estes Park, Colorado and barely escaped the Thompson River flood en route back home. He also flew back to his relatives in Nebraska and Iowa.

A few years back health issues pretty much stopped him for outdoor activities, but always the teacher and enjoying kids he found himself teaching music to home schoolers. He enjoyed seeing the outdoors from his chair in the living room, and really enjoyed seeing friends and family when they visited. Even tho he didn’t go out, he was never forgotten. Thank you to all who stopped by.