Smith, Gary Obituary

Smith, Gary attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Smith, Gary.

Graduation Year	Class of 1966
Date of Passing	Aug 04, 2015
About	Gary joined the creator on 8/4/15 at the age of 67 after a 10 month battle with brain cancer (GBM). Gary was born August 31, 1947 to Stan and Hazel Jordan Smith in Seattle Washington. Gary attended school in Monroe WA, the SF Bay Area, and Elk Grove CA; graduating from Elk Grove H.S. in 1966. Gary obtained a BA in U.S. History and M.A. in African Studies and in Political Science, from San Jose State College. Gary taught high school in a variety of locations, including Greece, Germany, Sacramento, Nevada (Rights of Passage), Hawaii, and South Lake Tahoe. His favorite assignment was his 10 years of teaching Community College level courses on Navy ships, as it combined his love of teaching and of travelling. He also had various adventures as a film producer and concert promoter. Gary travelled to 68 countries. Gary's early travels in Africa had a profound effect on him and it was there that he started Maisha ("Life" in Swahili) Films, which later became Maisha Sports Academy and Language Program in the Philippines. Throughout his life Gary had many dreams and ideas to make the world a better place. His last dream was to put on a golf tournament in Puerto Galera, Philippines, in May of 2015. Gary spent several of his last years in the Philippines, with his wife Gie, whom he married in 2011. There, he was a beloved educator, who became a Dean at Southville Foreign University. He is survived by his loving and supportive wife Gie; children Lisa, Michael, Stephen, Sean, Monique and devoted stepson Sean; his mother Hazel; siblings, Toni, Michael (Kathy Shurtleff), Rocky (Debbie Yamamoto), Christopher (Barb), Keith (deceased), Kevin (Divi-deceased), Kelly (Diana Fox), and Jeff (Barbara Harry). His father pre-deceased him on July 31, 2015. Gary was a very positive, imaginative, gregarious man to the end, always wanting to make the world a better place. A Celebration of Life will be held for Gary and Stan at the Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St, Sacramento, CA 95818 at 3:00 on Tuesday, September 1, 2015. - Information from the Sacramento Bee