Larry Lee Smith

Most people when asked to describe Dad in a word will respond with stubborn. And that was true when defined as obstinate or unyielding. But maybe there’s a different word: tenacious when defined as enduring or persistent. Did Dad obstinately attend every sports match, recital, or school performance; or could it be said that he persistently came to all of our various activities…and stayed awake for the important parts? Probably a bit of both.

Dad was born in Tiffin, Ohio on February 3, 1946, followed closely by his twin sister. A little brother came later, and after that a little sister. He battled polio at a young age and would tell stories of how the doctors said he would lose the use of his legs, then proved them wrong, riding a tricycle through the halls of the hospital. When he was 12 the family moved to Tucson, Arizona. He graduated from Amphitheatre High School in Tucson, where he ran track and played football. He enrolled at the University of Arizona after graduating in 1965, then joined the Air Force to serve during Viet Nam in 1966. He was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, as a fire fighter. For his final tour of duty, he was stationed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington – still fighting fires. It was during this time when he met Mom in Monroe, Washington in April of 1970. By October of that same year, they were married.

Lance was born in 1971, and Ron was born in 1973. During this time Dad attended classes at Lake Washington Technical College to earn a degree as an Electronic Technician while working 2 jobs; landscaping and mechanics at a service station. He got a job at Hewlett Packard in 1973 as a groundskeeper. After completing his degree he earned a job at the Boise HP plant, where the family moved to in 1978. In 1979 Shannon was born.

We attended the Meridian United Methodist Church, and Dad was very involved – he founded an interfaith Christian softball league with several other churches in the region. He was a member of the Methodist Men and developed the annal Ground Hog feed to help raise money for various outreach programs.

Saturday mornings he made us breakfast and we would all watch Looney Toons. Wiley Coyote was his favorite, probably because he never gave up either.

In 1998, Dad retired from Hewlett Packard – he never used a computer. He, Mom, and Shannon moved to Monroe, Washington to care for Mom’s father. Dad continued working into his 70’s, taking a job with Nintendo, then with a security firm in a senior care home. He and Mom moved back to Boise in 2019 to be closer to their 9 grandkids, who called him Grumpa, and a growing number of great grandkids.

Dad was much more than a series of life events, and maybe one word that actually describes him best is Heart. He had a huge heart and he put into everything he did, especially when it came to his family. We might not have gotten everything we wanted, but we always had what we needed; he was proud of us and loved us all completely.

So while he may be playing softball, building something, racing a car, or maybe even finally catching a fish somewhere far away from us, he left pieces of his heart behind for us to hold in our hearts so we can carry him with us to make sure he doesn’t miss a thing.

He is preceded by his parents and siblings. He is survived by is wife of 55 years, Margo, his 3 children and their spouses – Lance & Misty, Ron & Marnie, Shannon & Donnie - 9 grandchildren – David, Rick, Mary, Nicole, Hope, Alex, Erik, Jake, & Gabby. We miss you. Good night Dad.