Gary Steven Smith

Born on April 11, 1946 in Culver City, California, Gary was the second of three boys born to Willie “Dan” Smith and Katherine “Mai” Davis Smith. He was an energetic, inquisitive, and mischievous child with a quick wit and a huge heart for animals. He showed early signs of being a mechanical genius, which his father cultivated by bringing Gary to construction sites to teach him the trade. Gary was additionally very interested in working on cars and in the art of lithography; he saved his money as a kid to buy his first tabletop letterpress at the age of 10. This interest would later merge into a long and successful career in printing.

Gary graduated from Taft High School in 1964 and was drafted into the United States Army on July 22, 1967. He honorably served in Vietnam as a Special Forces Radio Operator Technician within the 5th Special Forces Group and MACV (Military Assistance Command Vietnam) Team 81 where his job was to safely direct MEDEVAC helicopters to retrieve wounded soldiers. This experience ignited a passion for amateur radio that carried on throughout his life.

Upon his return from Vietnam, Gary served in the Reserves and worked for a local printer in Woodland Hills, California. He was set up on a blind date on June 13, 1971, when he met Diane Sue Lumley. They married five months later, on November 13, 1971. Gary attended Pierce College and obtained an associate’s degree while working full time. First daughter Stephanie Sue was born in 1972 and second daughter Tracy Anne was born in 1983.

Always up for an adventure and learning new things, Gary loved fast cars, camping, shooting, off-roading, exploring ghost towns, sailing, windsurfing, scuba diving, horseback riding and ham radio. He spoke Vietnamese and taught himself German. He was a member of the Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club and attended multiple Field Day events.

Gary and Diane purchased their first sailboat, a Catalina 22 they named “Chicken of the Sea” in 1975 and trailered it to various lakes when they weren’t sailing out of Channel Islands Harbor in Southern California. They traded up for a Catalina 27 the same year Tracy was born. He named the boat “Kinderspiel” which means “Child’s Play” in German. Gary and Diane were active members of Fleet 1 with Anacapa Yacht Club and they competed in Wet Wednesdays and weekend races and went on cruising trips with the group to Anacapa Island, Santa Cruz Island, and Catalina Island. Gary’s love of sailing instilled a passion for the sport in daughter Stephanie as well and they built many wooden boats together throughout her childhood.

Gary’s career path continued within the world of printing for many decades; he worked as the foreman for well-known Anderson Printing in Hollywood, California for many years until finally venturing out on his own and opening his own shop, Smith Printing, in Simi Valley, California. He and Diane co-owned and grew the company by drawing upon Gary’s skillset which incorporated the long-lost art of combining late 19th century letterpress with modern offset technology. They consistently employed 10 pressmen and successfully established working relationships with graphic designers, Southern California printing houses, and Studio brokers; they became the go-to for hard to create press releases and marketing materials for celebrities, TV shows, movies, and executive firms.

After the 1994 Northridge earthquake severely impacted the business, Gary and Diane made the joint decision to move out of state as a step towards retirement. They chose Northern Nevada which was a place Gary loved as his father had purchased 100+ acres in rural Lovelock, Nevada, which eventually became the “Silver Cross Ranch”. Gary spent many years visiting and helping his father set up and build out the property. Gary, Diane, and the girls relocated to Dayton, Nevada in 1996 and placed the print shop in Mound House, Nevada, just outside of Carson City. Gary taught Stephanie all aspects of the business and she and Diane worked by his side for years until he retired in 2008.

Gary’s later years were spent taking trips with Diane to various historical locations across the country. He became an avid fan of genealogy and dedicated many hours to researching and exploring his ancestral roots which he fortunately uploaded and shared online for his lineage. He additionally enjoyed spending time with his granddaughter Rebekah Anne Norberg and working on the 5-acre homestead in Dayton with Tracy; they set up a mini horse ranch on the back of the property.

Gary is preceded in death by parents Dan and Mai Smith and brothers, Danny Ray and James Glen. He is survived by his wife Diane, daughters Stephanie and Tracy, granddaughter Rebekah, son-in-law Sami Haddad, brother-in-law Glen Lumley, sister-in-law Alice Lumley, nephew Erick Lumley, and his wife Melissa and sons Gavin and Cameron.

Fair winds and following seas to a man who had a welcoming spirit, a big smile, and a great story for everyone he met. Whiskey Bravo Six Yankee Uniform Delta - Roger and out.