Victor William Smith
February 12, 1926 – July 2, 2016
Victor William Smith (Papa) of Sequim, Washington died peacefully on July 2, 2016, at age 90.
Vic was born in Clarendon, Texas on February 12, 1926, the son of Rayburn Lester Smith and Luma (Noble) Smith.
He attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he met Gwendolyn Spykes of Hermleigh, Texas. They were married in 1945
and had 2 children, Barbara Ann Watson (Robert) of Houston and Victor William Smith Jr. (Kathy Harris) of Bellingham, Washington.
Vic spent the next 40 years working for Western Geophysical of Houston as a Geophysicist, a vocation that allowed him and his family to travel the world; from the Middle East to Australia, to South America to China and eventually back to Houston.
After Gwen’s passing in 1989, Vic met Evelyn McGregor and they were married in 1990, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and then settled in Houston. After living in Houston for 3 years Ev and Vic moved to their beautiful Sunland Golf Community in Sequim in 1993, where they became active golfers and developed many life-long friendships.
They joined Trininty United Methodist Church in late 1993, where a fellow choir member recruited Vic to play tuba for the Sequim City Band. He went on to realize his dream of playing tuba for 10 years with the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, the Port Townsend Summer Band, and the “Hurricane Brass Quintet”, rejoining the Sequim City Band in 2011.
Vic and Ev were blessed to have a blended family consisting of his daughter Barbara, son Vic Jr., Canadian step-sons Graham McGregor (Trudy), Scott McGregor (Dorothy), Ted McGregor (Tracy), 6 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. Vic is also survived by his younger sister Ada Sue McMahan, of Twentynine Palms, California, and numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.
Vic was a loving and devoted family man who delighted in sharing his musical talent for the enjoyment of young and old – and the beat goes on!
The Smith family wishes to thank all the wonderful staff, nurses and caregivers at Dungeness Courte for providing such excellent care and comfort for Vic during the past six weeks.
In accordance with Vic’s wishes, cremation services will be handled by Sequim Valley Funeral Chapel. Interment will take place at a later date in Houston.
A private memorial service will be held for Vic’s family and close friends at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2016, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 N. Blake Ave., Sequim.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Sequim City Band at P.O. Box 1745, Sequim, WA 98382 or Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County at 540 E. 8th St. Port Angeles, WA 98362.
