Douglas Carson “Butch” Smith
Douglas Carson “Butch” Smith, 77, resident of Brentwood, California, died on Friday, November 10, 2017, at The Good Shepherd of St Jude Assisted Living in Brentwood, California, from complications resulting from a stroke.
Douglas was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota on September 19, 1940 to John Carson Smith and Marie Martha (Molkenbur) Smith. His family moved from Minnesota to Stinson Beach, California in 1942.
Douglas attended Tamalpais High School, where he competed in cross country, running several Dipsea races. After graduating in 1958, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving as a Radarman 3rd Class aboard the destroyers USS Perkins (DDR-877) and USS John R. Craig (DD-885.)
On November 18, 1962, he married his childhood friend, Shelby Lynne Patterson, at Sacred Heart Church in Olema, California.
After his discharge from the Navy in 1962, he worked at the Marin Independent Journal until 1970 and then for the San Francisco Newspaper Agency as a printer and prepress foreman until his retirement in 2002. He was a proud member of the International Typographical Union and later, the Communication Workers of America, being a union member in good standing for over 50 years.
A longtime resident of Stinson Beach, he was a member and past chief of the volunteer fire department, and was a well regarded member of the community.
Besides his wife of 55 years, he is survived by his son Carson Timothy Smith of Concord, his daughter, Katherine Smith of Stamford, Connecticut, his twin sister Diane (LeMay) Smith of Yuba City, his aunts Kathleen (Zeverino) Brown of Hastings, Minnesota and Joanna (Vasquez) Brown of Maplewood, Minnesota, his sister in law Pamela (Araujo) Patterson of Brentwood, his nieces Heather Mccollum of Phoenix, Arizona and Jessica (Harrigan) Araujo of Discovery Bay, his nephews Joe LeMay of Yuba City and Nicholas Araujo of Discovery Bay. He was predeceased by his older sister, Barbara (Neighbors) Smith.
His ashes were scattered by his family at Table Rock in Stinson Beach on November 24, 2017. A memorial service will be held January 20, 2018, at 1 PM The Orchard View Lodge at Summerset IV in Brentwood, California.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Hospice East Bay, or one of the following charity groups: The Civil War Trust, St Vincent de Paul, or the Disabled American Veterans.