Aris Smits

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 58 years Janna; children, Keith (Brandy), Jennifer (Darrell) and Yvonne; granddaughters, Becky (Sarah), Sara (Félix), Star, Amber (Addison), Beth and Lucy; siblings, Margriet (Leo) and Hidde (Charito) as well as numerous friends and relatives.

Aris was born March 2nd, 1942 in Ede, the Netherlands, the eldest son of Hidde Smits and Maria Koudijs.

He grew up in the challenges of post WWII in Lunteren along with his siblings Margriet and Hidde, and at age 16 joined the Dutch Marines where he became a telegrapher. After meeting the love of his life, he and Janna decided to get married and immigrate to Canada to start a new life together. The first 13 years in Canada were spent in the Lethbridge area where Keith, Jennifer and Yvonne were born. He completed his Journeyman Carpentry training at SAIT to begin a successful career, quickly becoming foreman and then starting his own construction company.

In 1979, he truly found his calling when he accepted a job at Keyano College as a carpentry instructor. His first assignment was at Alexander First Nations and that led him to NAIT where he continued to work with indigenous communities and collaborated with special projects like Special Needs Housing for the next 25 years in the Edmonton area. After retirement from NAIT, he continued working with CLAC, Northern Lakes and NAIT in numerous First Nations and Inuit communities developing and teaching pre-employment programs. Aris was an active member of the Dutch Canadian club since 1980 where he stayed in touch with his Dutch heritage by volunteering for many cultural events.

Aris enjoyed travelling, dancing, fishing, skiing, diving, playing billiards, and golf—but most of all, any building project that came his way. Aris will be remembered for his laughter, enthusiasm, leadership, and the love he had for his family.

The Smits family is truly grateful for the palliative/End-of-Life care team so that Aris was able to spend his final days in his own familiar surroundings.

A celebration of life will be held at Thursday, August 7, 2025 at 10:00am at Memories Funeral Home,13403 St. Albert Trail, Edmonton, AB. A reception will follow at the Dutch Canadian Club 13312 142 Street, Edmonton, AB.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

The service may be joined remotely by visiting

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