Obituary of Paul Smith

Smith, Paul

In his 92nd year, Paul Smith passed away during the night at the Rosewood Retirement Home in Kingston, Ontario. Born into a loving, close-knit family in Gananoque, Ontario, Paul spent his childhood summers at the family cottage-a short rowboat trip (in those days) from the Gananoque dock-on Tremont Island. At the 'The Red' he was surrounded by neighboring relatives and by friends that he would keep his entire life. Though a strong student and, apparently, a well-behaved child (his siblings nicknamed him 'bon-bon'), Paul claimed to have spent much of his teenage years at the local pool hall. At 18, he was hired as a stock boy at the TD bank in Gananoque. He stayed with TD his entire working life, becoming a manager and moving from Gananoque to Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Kingston, before finishing his career at the head office in Toronto (and subsequently retiring in Kingston). But family, friends, and leisure activities, not work, were his life's focus. An all-around athlete, Paul played competitive baseball, badminton, tennis, and curling (usually together with his wife or one of his children),and remained physically active to the end of his life. It was not easy to reach Paul by phone at Rosewood because he spent most of his free time walking the halls and grounds. The week before his death, he spent a day on a houseboat with his daughter Karen and her partner Bill, touring the Thousand Islands and visiting Tremont Island. Paul met his wife, Eva (nee Meyer-Bremen), in Toronto at the Strathgowan Racquets Club in 1954. They had three children (of whom he was quietly very proud) and were together for 62 happy years, until Eva's death in 2017. A child of the depression, Paul was careful with his money (his wardrobe was a regular source of family embarrassment), but generous to his family. Spurred on by Eva, he also became an enthusiastic world traveler, with Eva, in his later years. A gentle, somewhat shy man, Paul had a dry wit (particularly evident when he played monopoly or cards) and a sunny outlook on life-both of which stayed with him through his last years, even as his memory began to fail. He always met you with a smile, never complained, and regularly remarked what a good life he had. Paul is pre-deceased by his wife Eva and his brothers Wright (Joan-d) and Patrick. He is survived by his three children, Karen (Bill), Stephen (Susan), and Charlotte (Tom), five grandchildren, Jamie (Diana), Michael, Jennifer, Jeffrey, and Daniel, two siblings, Judy (Gord-d) and Christopher (Mary), and sister-in-law Ann--all of whom he was close to and all of whom will miss him dearly. Eva's relatives in Germany also remember him fondly. The family is grateful to the Rosewood Retirement Home, St. Elizabeth Health Care, and Sandy Geris for their kindness and thoughtful care in Paul's last years. A family celebration of Paul's life will be held later this month.