Lonnie Gay Smith

Lonnie Gay Smith was born on April 11, 1946 to Levine and Marvelene Smith in Portland, Oregon. He passed away in Portland, Oregon on November 29, 2015. He went to David Douglas High School and Portland State University for his Bachelor of Arts. He later continued his schooling and got a Master’s degree from Cal Arts in LA. Knowing he loved everything relating to art from a young age, he made sure he was in set design for just about every school play. Lonnie was also very involved in the Rose Parade. He won the Queen’s Trophy for his float design as well as other top Rose Parade trophies. During his time at David Douglas, he won Student of the Year and also won the Floyd Light Award. As a kid, Lonnie was a mascot in the Junior Rose Parade. He also shared his singing talent on KEX during “Stars of Tomorrow.” Lonnie had a great sense of humor and thought that laughter is important for health. He was a wonderful, practical and highly intelligent man with many passions and interests. Although he never pursued membership, he even qualified for MENSA. Lonnie loved art of all kinds. He was portrait artist, animator, and sculptor. Lonnie even wrote a book that was in its final stages, ready to be published. He was a geology whiz, was fabulous at cooking and gardening and really, just excelled at everything he tried to do. His friends often referred to him as “The Encyclopedia” because they knew that if they had a question about something, all they had to do was call Lonnie. He had a great memory so everything he learned; he retained. He was a devout believer and lover of Christ. He was less concerned with what denomination he was a part of but more about the relationship he had with Christ. He loved the Bible and believed in the power of prayer. He was a member of Woodland Park Baptist Church since its inception in 1954. Lonnie had a number of wonderful jobs, primarily in animation. He did a lot of animation for Disney and whenever he sent in his work, it was taken as it was. He was never asked to make corrections because he got it right the first time. Lonnie was responsible for several well know designs including the National Geographic TV logo as well as a well-recognized Smokey Bear ad. He animated some video games and also spent some time teaching art. He also taught art and geology to kids in the TAG (Talented and Gifted) program; even taking his geology students to John Day where they worked on a documentary about fossils. Although Lonnie had many wonderful accomplishments, the biggest legacy he leaves is the way he treated people. Because of his caring and magnetic personality, people loved him and once Lonnie made friends, he kept them for life. He was extremely humble, never bragging despite his many accomplishments. He was always there to compliment others and hated seeing anyone in pain. He was sentimental and thoughtful; a real gentleman. Lonnie is survived by his sister, Lorelene Smith, his brother-in-law Ernie Schettler and several cousins. A funeral service will be held at 10am on Saturday, December 19th at Ross Hollywood Chapel: 4733 NE Thompson St, Portland. Interment will follow at Lincoln Memorial Park. A memorial service will also be planned on around April 9, 2016. Details will be shared as we get closer to what would be Lonnie’s 70th birthday.