Obituary of Andrew Troy Smith

Andrew Troy Smith, 34, passed on January 3 at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. He was the beloved son of Alison and Joseph Smith of Silver Spring, Maryland, and grandson of Howard and Barbara Kitchen and Mary Jane Smith all of Buffalo, New York. He was born August 10, 1980 in Arlington, Virginia then grew up in Buffalo. Andrew was a very bright child and by the age of five he taught himself the names of all the U.S. Presidents—in order—as well as the years they were in office. By the age of six he learned how to play chess and he made it his mission to beat his father whenever they played (a mission he succeeded at many times much to the chagrin and pride of his dad). Andrew loved school, and while in elementary school his teachers recognized his sharp mind, and saw to it he attended Buffalo Public School’s Gifted and Talented Program at the Fredric Law Olmsted School. He thrived in that environment, and while at the Olmsted School Andrew’s love of music emerged. He eventually studied the violin and was a member of the school’s orchestra playing at recitals, including a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony fourth movement which was superb. Andrew also found out that he could make money by setting his open violin case on the floor while playing for members of his extended family. While his love for the violin continued throughout his life, during his teen years he discovered guitar, which then captured his musical focus. He loved to sit in with other musicians and just play, and, like with the violin, he would take any of the several guitars he owned to family events, but he would mostly play for the younger children. Andrew had additional interests during his early school years, and he played in Buffalo’s River-Rock Little League, playing on the team that won the league’s mid-level championship. Because he loved baseball so much and was dedicated to the game, he was awarded the team’s “Sportsman” trophy. His love of baseball began when he was around six or seven and that is when he began collecting baseball cards. At that time, his mother took him to a nearby baseball card store every Friday to purchase cards. He was also a Cub Scout and he loved the camping, activities and fun scouting offered. His father went on campouts with both the pack and the troop and on one such outing both father and son donned headbands, removed their shirts—it was early winter—and ran through the forest as their woodland ancestors did. After graduating from the Olmsted School, he then attended Hutchinson Central Technical High School where he was a student for four-years, but he graduated from Buffalo Alternative High School in 1999. At Hutch Tech, Andrew formed many friendships, some of which lasted into adulthood. Andrew was an avid reader, a characteristic fostered early on by his mother who took him to Buffalo’s North Park Library every Tuesday to check out books. He developed sophisticated reading tastes as evidenced by the books he owned, which included works by Kurt Vonnegut, Elie Wiesel, Oscar Acosta, Ralph Ellison, Norman Mailer, Frank McCourt, James Joyce, Phillip Roth and Homer. During high school, Andrew took a job at a Buffalo diner—Amy’s Place—that provided him with a basis in the food service industry. He also started writing, and developed a stand-up comedy routine that he preformed at small venues. In August 2001, he moved to the Washington, D.C. area with his parents, and he took jobs at various restaurants. He wrote poetry and continued performing his stand-up routine while making friends. He played on various softball teams, until 2003 when he moved back to Buffalo, before moving back to Silver Spring in 2004 where he stayed for several months before moving to Portland in 2005 where he was involved with the CityTeam Ministries. In 2009 he moved to San Francisco and in 2012 he rejoined his parents in Silver Spring. He returned to Portland in 2013. In addition to his parents and grandparents, Andrew leaves behind his special friend Jackie DeFrance, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins and their wives, husbands and their many children. That extended family includes Alice and Peter Kitchen (Josh, Rachel and Sarah); Patricia and Mark Brug (Matthew, Philip, Christine and David); Barbara and Michael Boland (Jessica, Zachary and Kyle); Janet and Steve Rusch; Donald and Betty Frances (Melissa and David); Ed Smith (Nicole, Crystal and Rose); and cousins Alex and Adrienne Sourbeer (their mother, Kimberly Sourbeer is deceased). Andrew was also predeceased by his grandfather John T. Smith. Andrew provided joy and happiness to his immediate and extended family, but he lived far too short a life. A memorial service is in the planning stages and will likely be held in the Buffalo area during the spring. Rather than flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Andrew’s name to Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland. For details, contact his parents at jjsmithjs@aol.com