Andrew "Lou" Smit

On Wednesday, August 11, 2010, Andrew Louis “Lou” Smit of Colorado Springs was released from his mortal life and welcomed into the loving, eternal presence of Almighty God. He died of cancer at the age of 75, spending his last days at Pikes Peak Hospice comforting family and friends.

The second of four children, Lou was born in 1935 to Andrew and Henrietta Smit in Denver, Colorado. His family moved many of times over the years as his father looked for work during the Great Depression. Lou enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17, went to exotic places like Hawaii and Japan, and then returned to marry his sweetheart, Barbara DeRuiter. He got a degree from DeVry Technical Institute in electronics, found out he hated repairing televisions, and tried his hand at various other jobs until he followed his older brother to Colorado in 1965. He discovered his true calling as a police officer in 1966. He has attended Cragmor Christian Reformed Church since moving to Colorado Springs.

Lou was a distinguished and unrelenting investigator for the Colorado Springs Police Department; the El Paso County District Attorney, Coroner, and Sheriff's offices; and the Boulder County District Attorney's Office. He investigated over 200 murders over the course of 40 years. He was also instrumental in starting cold case units in police agencies across the nation.

He devoted his life to his faith in Jesus Christ, his wife, family, friends and community. The compassion and love he poured into the lives of all who knew him are immeasurable – especially to the families of crime victims he worked so sacrificially to represent. He pursued justice no matter what the cost. God blessed us all through him. He will be dearly missed. We look forward to joining him some day in God’s presence.

Lou was preceded in death by his brother John and his beloved wife, Barbara. He is survived by his four children, Lori (Craig) Lesle, Cindy (Kent) Marra, Mark (Jana) Smit and Dawn (Daniel) Miller; nine grandchildren, Michelle, Amy, Samantha, Kylee, Alexa, Jessa, Andrew, Chase and Jared; and eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Larry, sister Ceighbree and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A public celebration of Lou’s life will be held at New Life Church on Friday, August 20, 2010. The viewing will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the memorial service at 10:00 a.m. A private graveside service will be held later in the day.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association (http://www.csppa.org), Caring Bridge (http://www.caringbridge.org), Pikes Peak Hospice (http://www.pikespeakhospice.org) or Safe2Tell (http://www.safe2tell.org).