Obituary of James Douglas Smith

Middleport: On Monday, April 19th, 2021, at the age of 66, James “Smitty” Smith passed away suddenly while vacationing.  

Born on January 28th, 1955 to the late Ronald (Charleen) and Pat Smith, Smitty is survived by brothers Martin (Kathy) Smith and Thomas (Pam Caldwell) Smith. Husband of Mary (Fagan), whom he loved and cherished as a true partner and travel companion, supporting her and his family in any way that was needed. His strong, stoic, and dependable presence has been passed on to his sons, Nathan (Joanna) Weld, Scott (Jessee) Smith, and Ronald (Andrea) Smith, who love and care for their families in the same unselfish way that Smitty modeled for them. He adored his daughter, Jessica, who was always the true holder of his heart no matter how many other girls joined the family. He embraced his daughters-in-law as a welcomed extension of his family and loved and accepted them like they were his own. “Pop” was endlessly loved by his grandchildren, Aria Cavalleri and Wyatt Smith, and Benjamin, Amelia, Jonathan, and the late Nicholas Weld, whose hearts are filled with memories of him snuggling them to sleep in his chair and giving them rides on the tractor. 

Smitty is a former employee of the Town of Lockport and Wyndham Lawn Home and proprietor of Jim Smith’s Tree Farm. He leaves behind several brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends who were more like family, especially the Buslines’ crew. They will remember him fondly as an above average baseball and basketball player, mediocre golfer, fishing buddy, unconventional fixer of all things, Bloody Mary lover, and reliable Pony’s patron. 

Smitty was a man who could converse with anyone and made others around him feel valued and comfortable. He had a soft heart which he unsuccessfully tried to hide from others. His presence will live on in the same old stories that have been told a thousand times and he will be remembered as a man who didn’t have to talk about his love for others because his actions spoke for themselves.

The family will be present on Monday, April 26th from 2:00-4:00pm and 7:00-9:00pm at the Bates, Wallace and Heath Funeral Home, 38 State Street Middleport, NY 14105, to receive family and friends. A funeral will be held on Tuesday, 27th at 11:00am at Holy Trinity (St. StephenWorship Site), 19 Vernon St., Middleport NY 14105. Please assemble at church. Please obey all Covid restrictions. 

Since Smitty was more of a tree guy anyway, donations to the following organizations that he valued are graciously accepted in lieu of flowers: God Winks Inc.(godwinksinc.org), Research for Wolf Hirschhorn Syndrome (liv4thecure.org), and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org).  

To share a special memory of Smitty, please visit www.mitchellfamilyfuneralhomes.com.