In Celebration of

Reginald B. Smith

Surrounded by his family Reg passed suddenly on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Dearly loved by soulmate Lynne, children Karen (Teddy), Gary (Gail) and Greg (Lori). Loving grandfather to Laura, Aaron, Brian, Jenna, Cameron, Mac, Evan, Brayden, Jake and Riley. He’ll be sadly missed by family and friends. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Sunnybrook Foundation. Arrangements entrusted to Turner & Porter. yorkchapel@turnerporter.ca

Guestbook 

(5 of 5)


Bill & Jane Savage 

Entered July 21, 2020

You will be dearly missed Reg, by your family and friends in England.

Peter & Suzanne Matijcio 

Entered July 21, 2020

We were so sorry to hear of Reg’s sudden passing. Our very sincere sympathy.

Paula Breakspear 

Entered July 21, 2020

Greg, Lori and Family. Our thoughts are with you during this time of sadness. We were sorry to hear of the loss of your Father. May you find comfort in your memories.
Love Pauline and Paula

Graham and Sacha Uniacke 

Entered July 28, 2020

It took 50 years for us to reconnect and only 1 rooftop gathering with Blair and wives. You brought back a lot of memories RIP Reg now you and Nick are together

Fiona Thompson & Jane Meldrum 

Entered August 22, 2020

The laughs we shared between the houses on Palacky St.
Our memories of shared vacations at Wasaga Beach.
We have a deep well of memories and laughter to dip into when we need a smile.
Reg always greeted us with a smile when he would see us no matter what kind of day he had at work. And when my mom told him a double entendres joke he would laugh from the soul of his being. And it was the best laugh that became contagious around the room.
“Memories light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?
Memories may be beautiful and yet
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it's the laughter we will remember
Whenever we remember
The way we were“

Life Stories 

(5 of 27)


Gail 

Entered July 29, 2020

From Gail:
Dad was such a great father.in.law and grandpa. There are so many special memories that he has left us.
One story that brings a smile. I recall years ago dad had cooked a sumptuous roast dinner. Knowing what an amazing cook he was we were all waiting in anticipation. Dad went to get the roast and there were soap suds spilling out of the pot into the oven. Dad had poured dish detergent over the roast instead of oil. He tried to wash the roast off and we attempted to eat it.  
Dad took it in his stride as he always did in life and we all had a good laugh about it. 
Getting together with family and friends was very important to both dad and Lynne. 
Dad taught us by example to love and respect each other, to live in the moment and to appreciate  life’s simple  pleasures.

Jennifer 

Entered July 29, 2020

Larger than life; always a twinkle in his eye; charming, interesting, interested, funny... uncle Reg was just one of those people you always loved to be around.  Rick, the girls and I have so many fond memories of Reg and Lynne opening their home to us almost every summer when we’d come to Canada for a visit.  There was always a ton of delicious food and drink, so much warmth, and of course a boatload of funny stories told Reg-style as only he could tell them often starting out with a “My dear, let me tell you...” 

We loved Uncle Reg’s infectious laugh.  Much like his youngest brother, Reg had no problem laughing at his own jokes.  We were thinking back on so many Christmases and Thanksgivings when uncle Reg would crack one joke or another and often lead the way to the rest of the table bursting into laughter.  

Thinking back on Uncle Reg’s tendency to be a little on the finicky side (another shared brotherly trait!) also made us all smile.  When there was something uncle Reg didn’t like, he would do that thing where he’d purse up his whole face and give a “eeeeeehhh” sometimes wiggling all of his fingers for maximum impact, and no doubt working the room into still more laughter.

Reg was a wonderful uncle and overall just a fantastic man who we were so grateful to have in our lives.

Colin 

Entered July 29, 2020

Reg as a Protector:
All five of us siblings attended Cape Town’s Sidney Street school which was quite a long walk in addition to a bus ride from home. Reg was a really responsible big brother in the daily travels as we had to travel through a somewhat dicey part of town and he just knew what and how to avoid situations. Unfortunately for Reg, I was a classic replica of ‘Wimpy Kid’, and therefore could have been the target of some mistreatment by older kids at school. But not so! During the 2 breaks in the school day, Reg was always somewhere close by in the playground and any kid who got too pushy around me would feel the wrath of my big brother in a flash. The word soon got out that I was brother of ‘Reg the tough guy’ and I was left well alone.

Reg as the Scientist:
The four brothers shared one large room in our house and so there was always some mischief in the works. November 5th, Guy Fawkes Day was approaching and Reg smuggled a box of fireworks into our room . When all was quiet, out came the box and Reg decided that he would find out exactly how fireworks actually worked. Lights were out so he lit one of the sparkly things to provide light. Well he got lots of light as the box caught fire and in no time fireworks were going off in every direction. Fortunately, no serious damage done and only four very scared boys who had a bleak Guy Fawkes with hardly any fireworks.

Reg as the Chaperone:
Reg was allowed to go out on Saturday afternoons, but most times he had to take someone with him. I loved the movies so Reg had me as a companion for Saturday matinees. Once we were away from the house he would make it quite clear to me that was no baby sitter and if I wanted to go to any future movies with him I had to cooperate. He would seat me at the front of the theatre then head off to the back row to meet a friend (I think her name was Pauline) and she must have been close to a cold air fan as whenever I looked back to make sure Reg was still there, he would have his arm around Pauline’s shoulders.

Reg as the Devout:
Family members frequently attended St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church on Sunday mornings with great pride as Reg and his buddy were altar servers with a great attendance record. It was years later that he fessed up that the only reason the two rascals were so religious was that they looked after the wine and as the minister liked a drop or two, there was alway a bottle that was opened and ready to be tasted by his assistants on the sly!

Andrew 

Entered July 29, 2020

Uncle Reg was such a special man to me growing up and I know he was a wonderful caring father. I feel blessed to have known him. We were camping and I lit a roaring fire for him in his honour last night and when I got up in the middle of the night and went outside, I’ve never seen brighter stars and I feel like that was God telling me to remember all the the shine he brought with that larger than life personality that was truly 1 in a million. we will miss so much. He was an idol to me always. I was blessed with having such a great uncle.

David 

Entered July 29, 2020

I have so many fond memories of Reg from all of the many family get togethers that occurred when I was growing up. I always enjoyed his laughter, wit, exuberance, and boundless sense of humour (not to mention the copious teasing he bestowed upon my dad :-). I once told Reg that my wife had commented after first meeting Reg in the ‘90s that he sort of looked like Clark Gable – Reg looked at me and deadpanned “No, Clark Gable looks like me, and he’s not as good looking!” Without fail, Reg would alway make me laugh and smile, and I would always look forward to the next opportunity when I would see him again.

Photos 

(2 of 2)