Martin Andrew Smith

Born and raised in Portland, Oregon to Elizabeth and Martin Leo Smith with his 3 siblings, Leo, Isabelle and Doris who all preceded him in death. After graduating from Central Catholic High School, he served his country in the Army as a paratrooper during the Korean conflict.

He met his future wife, Jean Carneau, while attending his brother’s company picnic. They were happily married for 43 years until Jean’s passing in 1998. They had one daughter, Patti.

He was a meatcutter by trade for many years. He never missed checking out the meat counter at every grocery store he visited. He moved onto Ness & Co where he held different roles including Warehouse, Product, and Transportation Manager for 25 years until he retired in 1996.

Marty credits his father for his development into a talented craftsman of many creations that included home remodels, furniture, and leather works, to name a few. He made numerous creations for many people, but was known for his replicas of famous architectural structures from around the world that he designed and constructed from pictures he found on the internet and in books that became “elaborate birdhouses.” He could fix and repair anything and loved assisting others by providing custom solutions. He was also an accredited Master Gardner and spent many years giving tours at Pittock Mansion. Gardening and yard work were a passion that was evident in his pristine and manicured landscaping at all his residences.

He enjoyed his workouts at the gym, watching football (even the repeats), puttering in the yard, and his daily drive to McDonalds to get his coffee.

In 2005, he and his daughter and her husband combined their households and found a home that allowed them to live spaciously under one roof. As he told people, he had many household tasks. He worked in the yard, did projects with Randy, made daily calls to Patti finding out what was for dinner, laundry, trips to Safeway, and taking care of the dogs which included dropping food on the floor for them. He was happiest when his days were filled with chores as he loved to always be working and accomplishing a mission.

However, his greatest love was for his family and his close friends. He always said he wanted to help us with things while he was here so he could see the smiles on our faces, and those in his life did a lot of smiling. His generosity of time, talent, and treasures was a blessing for his family and fulfilling for him. His grandchildren, Ashley & Jeremy, were a huge source of joy for him and he told everyone how proud he was of them both. He played a huge roll in their lives. Papa was at all their sporting events and probably the most avid cheerleader. He never missed a game and there were a lot of them.

Marty is survived by his daughter, Patti, and son-in-law, Randy, his Granddaughter, Ashley and husband, Greg, Grandson, Jeremy and wife, Caitlin, Great-grandchildren, Riley Jean and Rory Martin.

Marty’s life will be celebrated at St Cyril Catholic Church in Wilsonville, Oregon, on Monday, April 29th. A rosary will begin at 10:30 am followed by a mass at 11:00 am. A reception celebration will immediately follow.