Walter Gordon Smyth

Walt was born June 22, 1937 in Oakland, CA, the son of Dr. Howard McGaw Smyth and Hertha (Kainrath) Smyth. Walt’s mother was Austrian and grew up in Vienna, where she met her future husband who was working on his Ph.D. at the University of Vienna. In 1935 the Smyths married and moved back to the States, eventually landing in California, where Dr. Smyth began teaching at the U. Cal., Berkeley, when Walt was born. When the U.S. entered WWII, Dr. Smyth was called to serve in the newly formed OSS (predecessor of the CIA), and the growing family moved to Washington D.C. In 1950, the Smyths built a summer place in Bethany Beach, DE, which home still serves as a hub for annual summer family reunions.

In August 1952, when Walt was 15, the Smyths moved to Whaddon, England for four years, upon Dr. Smyth’s appointment as American Editor in Chief of the captured German Foreign Ministry archives. Walt and his brother Edi attended Bedford Modern School (which was anything but) and they became the first Americans to attend in BMS’s 190-year history. During his time there, Walt was active in rugby and cross country. In 1955, upon graduation, Walt attended his first year at Université de Grenoble in France. When the Smyths moved back to the States the following year, Walt matriculated to Princeton University. At Princeton, Walt majored in Political Science, was captain of the freshman crew, rowed on the varsity crew his sophomore and junior years, and was a loyal member of Cottage Club.

After graduation in 1960, Walt entered the U.S. Marine Corps serving time in Vieques, PR, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After leaving the Marines as Captain, Walt married his first wife, Nadine (Mezentsoff), and began a 21-year career at Armco Steel in 1964. Armco led Walt and his family, including children Scott, Bob, and Susan, to Baltimore, MD, Middletown, OH, Birmingham, MI, Pittsburgh, PA, back to Baltimore, and then back to Middletown.

After leaving Armco in 1985, Walt began a new chapter as a commercial real estate broker in St. Petersburg, FL, with his second wife Madeline (Griffith), and his two sons, Doug and Andy. After Madeline passed away in 2022, Walt moved to Kyle, TX to live with Andy and Doug, both of whom provided companionship and care to him the last few years.

Walt was very bright and had a terrific sense of humor, often playing elaborate jokes on unsuspecting friends. He was an avid reader, could speak and read French and German, loved fishing and music (particularly Bluegrass), and was a collector of almost everything (beer cans, books, memorabilia, coins, stamps, guns, fly swatters, key chains, etc. etc.). Walt served as commissioner for the housing authority and was a proud member of the local Marine Corps League detachment. Walt was a religious blood donor and had donated close to 40 gallons during his life.

Walt’s wife, Madeline G. Smyth, passed away March 17, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Walt is survived by his five children, Scott (Kim), Bob (Julie), Susan, Doug, and Andy; his ten grandchildren, Alexander, Caroline, Catherine, Adam, Nick, Rebecca, Maria, Teddy, Benji, and Sidney; his brother, Howard Edward, his sister, Annalee Atabay; and four nephews, Tony, Brice, Sandy, and Marcello, as well as grand nieces and nephews.