Lance McRitchie Smith

He was born in Oakland, CA on January 13th, 1937, to Norman and Jeanne Smith and was eight years old when his brother Garth (dec. 2010) was born.

Lance spent his youth in the Bay Area East Bay communities of Oakland, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill. He graduated from Mount Diablo High School in 1954.

Lance joined the Navy Air Corp in 1955 and was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida until he was honorably discharged in 1961.

He moved to San Diego after the Navy to be near his family that had relocated to La Jolla. Soon after coming to San Diego, he met his wife of 51 years, Arlene while she was teaching in Coronado. Their courtship was aided by the ferry service that connected San Diego to Coronado.

Lance was mechanically gifted and often worked on vehicles, which led to a lifelong career in the car and truck business. One of his early jobs in San Diego was at International Harvester as a mechanic. However, he also had a natural aptitude for sales and soon his career moved in that direction which included his earning an Associate’s Degree in Sales Management from San Diego City College in 1970.

His career as a Lease Consultant started in the mid 1960’s when he joined PHD, a small car and truck leasing company, located in Mission Valley. Lance worked for PHD Penske until his retirement in 2003.

Lance and Arlene (dec. 2014) raised two sons, Bart and Dirk in Point Loma where together they enjoyed many activities together such as traveling, boating, water and snow skiing, and off-roading.

Lance was a member of Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church, Southwestern Yacht Club and an associate member of the Executives Association of San Diego. He enjoyed fast cars, dancing, and swimming in his backyard pool.

He is survived by his sons Bart (Dee), Dirk (Corinna), grandchildren Marisa (Daniel) and Elliot, and his special friend Ruth Palma.

A memorial service will be held at Point Loma Community Presbyterian Church on March 9, 2024, at 2 pm. (pointlomachurch.org)

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Lance’s name to Genesis Diez / Genesis International Orphanage Foundation at https://genesisdiez.org/