SMITH, Jasper Lee

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ 12/30/2014 Jasper Lee Smith In loving memory of Jasper Lee Smith, 56, resident of Pinetop, died Dec. 22, 2014, in Apache Junction from a sudden massive heart attack. He was born Sept. 30, 1958, in Ganado. Jasper was a son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle, friend, contractor, teacher, husband and father. To anybody who knew him, you knew he was unique to you and unique to other people who knew him throughout his life. To each and everybody he came across, he gave a little piece of himself. Within the town of Pinetop, he was very well known and liked for simply being Jasper. His presence and his green truck cruising the towns of Snowflake, Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and Whiteriver will be missed. The people who knew him come together with their pieces of Jasper, pieces that Jasper gladly gave to everybody he knew, with acts of kindness. His love for the animals on this earth was just one of many things that was unique about him. He expressed his love for animals with care and love. The dogs at Hon-Dah Casino will miss the scraps from the Smith family dinner table which Jasper gladly shared. Before becoming a family man and contractor, Jasper was a young artist in Santa Fe, N.M., attending the Institute of American Indian Arts. When he could, Jasper painted beautiful portraits of Arabian horses and ancient ruins of northeastern Arizona. People at the grocery store, the hitchhikers, rodeo-goers, neighbors, clients of his, carpenters, auto part clerks, mechanics, hunters, fishermen, the list is endless. Endless like his existence on this Earth. It is not accurate to say that he is gone from this world because everyone who knew him holds a piece of Jasper within their hearts. It is more accurate to say that the spirit of Jasper lives on, even though we may not see him cruising in his green truck, in the grocery store, the job site, or Hon-Dah Casino with his buddies. He lives on in our memories and in spirit. Jasper attended Ganado High School, Institute of American Indian Arts and was a member of Carpenter’s Union. He is survived by his daughter, Elena M. Smith, and wife Elizabeth A. Smith. Funeral services were held Dec. 29 at the Lower Greasewood Catholic Church. Tse Bonito Mortuary in Tse Bonito handled arrangements.