Thomas Smith, 80
Born Jan. 29, 1943, in Sunnyside, Wash., Thomas M. Smith, 80, passed away Nov. 18, 2023, in Sandpoint, Idaho, following a valiant battle against melanoma cancer.
The son of Lloyd F. and Mildred Smith Schlien, Tom spent his early years in Sunnyside, graduating in 1961 from Sunnyside High School. He pursued a college education at Western Washington University and graduated with a degree in political science in 1965. Tom furthered his education and graduated from Gonzaga University with a Juris Doctor Law degree in 1970. After briefly working for the Washington State Prosecutor's Office, he established his own general law practice in downtown Spokane. He semi-retired in 2014 and in 2017 moved to Sandpoint to live in his beloved home on Lake Pend Oreille, where he continued his law practice, became a licensed Realtor, and renewed his love of snow skiing, hunting and gardening.
He joined the Schweitzer Prime Timers Ski Club and began to compare his times down the mountain with his age, and measured his vertical feet skied at over a million feet every year. And oh, did they have wonderful social gatherings. He truly cherished the friends he made on the mountain.
In addition to moose and caribou hunting in Alaska with Joe, Tom made annual treks to Idaho's Clearwater National Forest area to "Elk Camp" every fall enjoying the camaraderie as much as the hunt. Each spring, he established a huge garden on his son's land in Elk and did battle with the weeds and deer who persisted in ruining it. And yes, after moving his boat so he could repair it in the shop there, the whole place burned up in the Oregon Fire. His boat melted into a blob.
But little could keep Tom down. He loved to tell a story or a joke. He liked to read about the Civil War in which his two great-grandfathers fought, one on each side. He sang when his heart was full. He had joie de vivre. Every outing was an adventure. He loved life and fought hard to win every battle big or small.
Thomas M. Smith was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Vergie Ellen Rosson Lougheed; his nephew, Ken Rosson; and two stepsisters, Carolyn Schlien Quantrille and Nayda Schlien Littlefield. He is survived by his two sons and their wives, Eric Lloyd Smith (Jeanine) and Michael Thomas Smith (Maureen); and his only grandchild Samuel Thomas Smith, all of Spokane. He is also survived by his "third" son, Joe Everhart (Gayla) of Anchorage, Alaska, formerly of Spokane, whom Tom mentored when Joe was in high school. Joe later hosted Tom on several caribou and moose hunting trips. He is also survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Roberta and John R. Sahr of Spokane Valley and family John D. Sahr of Otis Orchards, Kathryn Calcagni (Nick) of Seattle and Elizabeth Dollard (Michael) of Albany, N.Y.; and his mother's special second family Marlys and Kirk of Bozeman, Idaho, and Greg Littlefield of Moses Lake and Sandpoint; and many nieces and nephews including Bill Word of Renton.
A memorial service will be held in his honor at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, at Heritage Funeral Home, 508 N. Government Way, Spokane, WA 99224, followed by a reception. Tom's final resting spot will be at Riverside Memorial Park. His family respectfully suggests gifts in his memory be given to the charity of the donor's choice."
