Smith, Gregory Blair – Age 83 of Halifax passed away June 21, 2022, at Northwood Ivany Place in Bedford after a long courageous battle with Parkinson’s, with family by his side. He was born Dec. 2, 1938.
He is survived by his wife Barb (Kline) Smith; children, Kathy (Rob) Smith, Yellowknife; Blair (Jocelyn Henry) Smith, Halifax and Lisa (Greg) Pye, Amherst; grandchildren Rachel (Kevin) Henry-Smith, Nathan Henry Smith, Cody Kotylak and Kori Kotylak; sister Sheila Sullivan, Halifax; several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his mother Kathleen (Kay) Butler, his father Raymond (Ray) Smith, his step-father Jim Butler, his infant sister Beryl Smith and his step-brother Doug Butler.
He was born and raised in in Halifax. He was a Firefighter with the Halifax Fire Department for 27 years. He was the President of the Firefighter’s Union for two terms and helped to resolve the first and only strike the HFD ever had in 1982. He was also the Secretary of the Firefighter’s union for many years. His Happy Place was at Hubbards Beach Campground, with his family, extended Hubbards family and friends by his side, where he spent more than 45 seasons. Hubbards is also where he re-met the love of his life and wife of 57 years. He loved to entertain and always had his guitar in tow. He touched many through the years with his music and signature renditions of Danny Boy and My Way, as well as the “Hubbards Song,” that he wrote and sang. He will always be remembered for leading a sing song with everyone gathered around the fire at Hubbards.
Christmas was always a very special time for him and being with family, extended family and friends had deep significance for him. He was well known for his Christmas trees. He had so much pride with his Christmas trees, from the hours long selection process and the many hours of decorating them until they were just perfect. There were also the infamous house filled Smith family Boxing Day parties, where he had so much joy entertaining and seeing everyone.
He certainly did things his way and left an indelible mark with all he came to know. He loved playing sports, especially hockey, softball, and horseshoes; where his competitive spirit helped him to excel. He played many years with the Halifax Mid Town Oldtimers hockey team and with a group who played at the SMU arena every Sunday morning for many, many years, where he made many lifelong friendships. He always fought for what he believed was right and for the underdog. He loved heated discussions and debates over drinks with friends. He was very proud of his family and his accomplishments. He had a larger than life personality and a passion for life that the illness unfortunately slowly took from him piece by piece. He will be dearly missed by his family and all who knew him.
Our family would like to thank the incredible and caring staff at Northwood Ivany Place in Bedford for the amazing care and support they provided to him during the five and a half years that was his home. Memorial donations can be made in his name to the Northwood Foundation.
Visitation will be August 4th and the memorial service will be 2pm August 5th, 2022 at J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Dr., Halifax. Cremation has taken place.
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