George "Smitty" Gerard Smith Jr.

loved ones on August 15, 2024. He battled many health issues during his lifetime, including

non-hodgkin's lymphoma and most recently pancreatic cancer, but always met this adversity

with grit, wisdom, and humor.

Smitty, often referred to by his family as “The Bum”, was born on August 19th, 1952 in Oneida,

New York. He grew up in Verona, New York with his two older sisters and enjoyed playing

baseball, football and basketball in high school. He also spent much of his time playing golf at

Pete’s Patch, where he famously shot par in his bare feet the day he graduated high school. He

graduated from VVS High School in 1970, followed by earning his bachelor’s degree in

mathematics from SUNY - Geneseo.

Smitty then moved out to Colorado to embark on a new adventure with his best friend, John

“Sid” Sidelko, and forged the path for many of their friends from New York to follow. He began

working as a land surveyor in the mid-1970s, was hired as a survey crew manager in 1981, and

co-founded a civil engineering and land surveying firm in Denver (Harris Kocher Smith) in 2003,

where he finished out his career and retired in 2022. If you work in this industry in Denver, you’ll

be sure to see his license number throughout the city - #19003.

He loved spending time outside in Colorado and during his young adult years spent many days

camping, backpacking, fishing, hiking, hunting, and golfing. He met the love of his life, Elna

Nielsen, in 1981 and they married at Aviation Park in Lakewood, CO on June 24, 1989. They

welcomed two children into their family: Brielle in January of 1991 and Jacob in August of 1993.

As a family, they created many memories including going to the “Smith Family Hideaway” in

Estes Park, playing golf, camping, BBQing on the back patio, playing euchre, and exploring all

of the beauty and wildlife that Colorado has to offer.

He loved watching football and participated in fantasy football leagues for over 40 years,

sometimes winning and other times criticizing his lack of success to his “poor coaching”.

Regardless of the outcome, you could find him every Sunday in the fall tracking scores with pen

and paper instead of following the live updates online, not wanting anyone to spoil the outcome

for him until he could tally everything on his own.

He loved spending time in the garden and cultivated the most beautiful array of flowers each

year. He would constantly encourage his plants to grow, and if they were under-performing, he

would give them a “talkin’ to” before replacing them. Though his health limited his ability to

garden this summer, many family and friends stepped up to the plate and made this year’s

garden one of the best yet - and one that he could gaze upon and enjoy in his final days.

When asked what expectations he held himself to each day, he responded: “The first is to treat

people the way you would always like to be treated. The second is to always be honest in ALL

situations. And the last is to accomplish at least one productive thing each day. I’m sure there

are more, but if I’ve done the above three, it’s been a good day.” He loved serving others and

was as compassionate and loyal as they come. Whether you knew him professionally or as a

friend, he raised the standard and he helped, loved, supported, and paved the way for so many

to follow in his footsteps.

Though he grew up in a religious household, Smitty surrendered his remaining doubts and

rededicated his life to Jesus on March 31, 2024 - just a few short months before the Lord called

him home. Smitty is preceded in death by his parents, George Smith Sr and Dorothy (Newnam)

and his sisters, Joan Szarowicz and Kathryn “Kay” Conrad. He is survived by his wife Elna

(Nielsen) and his children, Brielle Smith and Jacob Smith, along with many nieces/nephews,

brothers/sisters-in-law, cousins, and dear friends.

The Smith family would like to thank the many friends and family that showed him compassion

and care in his final days. The outpouring of support through meals, visits, prayers, and

encouragement has comforted his family amidst an emotionally trying time and does not go

unnoticed. Smitty was so encouraged by the community surrounding his loved ones in his final

days and left this life knowing those around them would sustain them in his absence.

Family and friends of Smitty and the Smith family are invited to attend a celebration of life on

Friday, September 20, 2024 from 6-9PM at The Grange (address: 3692 Meadows Blvd, Castle

Rock, CO 80109). This celebration will be open-house style and a time to celebrate the life of

Smitty and the impact he’s had in all of our lives. If you have any pictures of Smitty you’d like to

share, please email them to [email protected] by September 15th.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the family to use towards purchasing a

tree in his honor from the Memorial Tree Program in Castle Rock. The POST Partners Memorial

Tribute Program will plant a tree dedicated to Smitty at a park in Castle Rock and a gold leaf will

be placed on the Tree Legacy Program memorial plaque at Town Hall in Castle Rock in his

name.

COMPASSION HELPLINE

The Compassion Helpline is being provided to you free of charge by Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Chapel for a period of three months from the date of this service. For personal and confidential phone counseling services free of charge call: 866‑649‑9644