Good night dear friends and family.
This is Jessica writing you tonight. The photograph on this post is of my father, Barry Smith, a giant amongst men. I say that because of his heart and his incredible courage. Whenever I speak of my Father you will always hear the phrase ” There was no one like him”, because there wasn’t and there never will be. He passed away at the age of 46, a very young man, 32 years ago today.
Barry was fierce. Fierce in his living, fierce in his loving and fierce in his authenticity. His family was everything to him, and he would defend us with his life. Not everyone understood my father because he didn’t follow norms. He marched to the beat of his own drum and never cared about the opinions that others had of him for doing so. He was a no tolerance for bull*hit type of guy. He disliked pretentious and snobbish people and he let them know that very openly. He was able to size people up very easily, in regards to their honor , integrity and heart. He was amazingly real. What you saw was what you got with him. Wether my father was rich or poor, he was always the same. He liked making money but knew it didn’t define him, and that it didn’t define others. If my Father liked someone, it was because he could feel their sincerity and their decency. And to those select few, my father was an amazing friend.
We had no bigger cheerleader than my Dad. He inspired us to take risks, as he did when something meant a lot to him. He stood up for what he believed in, no matter if he stood alone or not. He was a fighter to the bone and he was one of the most highly intelligent people I’ve ever known.
He made his career in commercial real estate from the ground up , with no money at all, just a white pages and a telephone. What many people don’t know about him, is that he was also artistic, creative and very passionate. As a very young man, he worked as a chef and at one time made ice sculptures. He was a voracious reader, enjoyed painting and loved to ski. Every single thing he did, he did fully with passion. He was a mentor to so many people, including my Mother Jo Ann and his 6 children.
In the last 7 years of his life, after his first heart attack, when the doctors told him he wouldn’t live much longer, he took that on like another challenge. He lived the H*ll out of the rest of his life. He spent his time with family, told us stories about his whole life, and taught us life lessons that we could never learn from anyone else. We witnessed him fighting his best fight against heart disease, his most powerful opponent. He made every single day count. There were many close calls when we were told he would not live through the night, and he went on to live again, leaving even the doctors wondering how. He was unbeatable. He lived and died by his own motto , “A quitter never wins, and a winner never quits”. He never ever gave up.
Since that February day in 1984, after the loss of my father, the world and our lives were never the same. Although it’s been over 3 decades, my fathers legacy is still going strong. I miss him and think of his smile every single day. I live each day trying to make him as proud as he made me. Saying the words “I am Barry Smiths Daughter” are words I speak with an enormous amount of pride. I’m so lucky to be able to call him my father and to have been loved by his magnificent soul. Every day until the end of my life, I will work on getting better and better at living life with the same bravery as my father did before me.
I love you so much Daddy. Forever and always, Until the end of time. Your light still shines in my heart and will never ever be extinguished. I know you’re up there, and I feel you when you put your hand in mine. I know you are beside me when I need you the most. You were no ordinary man. You were extraordinary.
Sending you hugs and kisses in heaven,
Jessie
Sweet dreams everyone,
Jessica Lee Smith,
For Sammy & Family
