SMITH, Harold Egbert (Smitty)

Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, AZ Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Harold Egbert "Smitty" Smith, 86, of Flagstaff, died Sunday, Sept. 12, 2010, at Flagstaff Medical Center. Mr. Smith was born July 4, 1924, in Springfield, Mo. During his early childhood, he and his family moved around quite often until they settled in Pasadena, Calif., in 1930, where they lived for many years. In 1942, a few months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mr. Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy because he felt it was important to serve his country and protect his family. He served as a pharmacist mate for several years, in the states as well as in the South Pacific. While he was stationed in the Russell Islands, he became engaged to his sweetheart, Joyce Hooper, and they were married when he came home on leave. They had two daughters, Linda and Pam, but they later divorced. After World War ll, Mr. Smith was called to active duty for a short time during the Korean War. After his tour ended, he met Arlene Earl and they were married Oct. 25, 1952, in Alhambra, Calif. Two sons were born to them, Alan and Jeffrey. Mr. Smith worked a variety of jobs during his lifetime, but the majority of his working career was centered on law enforcement. He was a police officer for the Vernon (Calif.) Police Department, as well as the Monterey Park (Calif.) Police Department for many years. He retired as a police captain shortly after his wife, Arlene, died on Dec. 16, 1969. After her death, he decided to finish his education, so he relocated to Provo, Utah, with his two sons and was a student at Brigham Young University. He worked very hard and earned an Associate of Arts in general studies, a Bachelor of Science in public administration and a master's degree in public administration, in a short period of time. During his time as a student, he met and married his son's junior high school science teacher, Carolyn Astin. They were married May 31, 1972, in Provo and had two children, Rebecca and Thomas. In 1976, the family moved to Flagstaff, where Mr. Smith taught criminal justice as an associate professor at Northern Arizona University for about 20 years. During that time, they added five more children to the family, Gregory, Brian, Heidi, Sterling and Pete. Mr. Smith enjoyed reading very much. In 1978, he began reading books and poetry once a week to his children's classes at Weitzel School and continued to do so for many years. He also helped coach all seven of his sons' sports teams at various times throughout his life. When he wasn't coaching, he would always attend their practices. He loved to take his family to various vacation spots in California, where they especially enjoyed visiting Disneyland. Mr. Smith was an active member of the Cedar Hill Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was a member of the Elks Lodge. Mr. Smith is survived by his wife of 38 years, Carolyn Smith; 11 children, Linda Steck of Malta, Mont., Pamela Alfieri (Randy) of Springville, Calif., Alan E. Smith (Sherry) of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Jeffrey E. Smith (Carole) of Orange, Calif., Rebecca Brinkerhoff (Chanon) of Flagstaff, Thomas E. Smith (Tricia) of Flagstaff, Gregory E. Smith of Mesa, Brian E. Smith (Selina) of Prescott Valley, Heidi Brown (Ben) of Flagstaff, Sterling E. Smith of Flagstaff and Pete Smith (Amelia) of Gilbert; 27 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Herman and Vera Smith; his sister, Eleanor Lawranowicz; and one grandson. Visitation will be Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Norvel Owens Mortuary and also Friday from 9 to 9:45 a.m. at the Linda Vista Building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A funeral service will follow at 10 a.m. Friday. Interment with military honors will occur at Citizens Cemetery after the services. Condolences can be sent to his family at www.norvelowensmortuary.com. Norvel Owens Mortuary is handling arrangements.