Obituary of Everett Smith

Everett Smith, 82, passed away on January 26 at River Bend Hospital from a rare blood disorder, Myelofibrosis. He was born in Urbana, Illinois, in 1931 to Everett G. Smith and Gladys L.Mahn. He lived in what he termed the ”Heartland of America” with his parents and younger sister, Judy, attending schools in Urbana and graduating with undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Geography from the University of Illinois and a commission in the US Navy. Following a two-year stint on a troop transport ship in the Pacific, encompassing 17 round trips to Asia, he returned enthused to pursue and study for a PhD in Geography at the University of Minnesota. During his first year there he met and married his wife Sally Dietz. It is fitting that the geographer and his fellow traveler for 55 years met on a train traveling between Urbana and Minneapolis. In 1965 Ev and his family, which now included two young sons, Steve and Doug, came to Eugene to teach geography at the University of Oregon. He was a member of the geography faculty from 1965 to 1995, and he lovingly continued to teach students at a reduced load for five years into his retirement. For a man who knew how to travel and explore the world so well, staying put in Eugene for so many years was a marker to how much he loved and gave service to this community. His specialty was Cultural Geography with a focus on land use, political boundaries, and the dynamics between urban and rural places. He once published an article, “Decent Places off the Beaten Path,” which national media picked up on and espoused as a popular, novel idea. Ev once boasted that he drove across the U.S. without ever driving on a freeway! At separate times he served on the Lane County Boundary Commission and Lane County Planning Commission and was an organizer of the South University Neighborhood way back in 1973, when such organizations were a new idea. He served as its first president. He and Sally have continued to live in, work in, and care about this neighborhood for a total of 49 years and his remains will be interred in the historic Eugene Pioneer Cemetery, tucked between the neighborhood and the University of Oregon. The third phase of Everett’s life as a geographer was to travel and explore the world. Following full retirement, he and wife Sally executed a continuous log of trips and new adventures to places around the world. Having had the chance to live a year in London and teach at universities in Tubingen, Germany, and Avignon, France, gave them a deep understanding of Europe and the “right” to return over and over again. Explorations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North and South America also began to fill in their travel schedule. Everett is survived by his wife Sally, sons Steve (Lynne), Doug, sister Judy Shaffer (Bill) and four grandchildren: Caitlyn, Adelyn, Andrew and Kazuma. He also leaves behind his loving walking companion, Ebbie, an Australian shepherd. Everett was a kind, generous and attentive friend to many people and was often referred to as a true gentleman by his associates, students, neighbors and friends. He loved and played jazz piano music all his life and had faithfully attended the Sun Valley Jazz Festival for the last 11 years. He played for visitors at the River Bend Hospital lobby on Thursday afternoons. Last but not least, he was an ardent Duck fan and attended football, basketball and track meets his whole life in Eugene. As such he was a good loser and a happy winner. Contributions can be made to the Map Library at the University of Oregon. A memorial service in his honor will be held at 3 p.m.on Friday, February 7, 2014 at the First Congregational Church, 1050 E. 23rd Ave. Eugene. Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com