Dana Harold Smith

1941 - 2021

March 1, 1941 - September 12, 2021 Dana Harold Smith, dapper dresser, accomplished real estate mogul, and lover of trains, travel, and peanut butter, passed away on September 12, 2021.Dana was born in Santa Monica on March 1, 1941, to native Nebraskans Harold and Lois Smith, who moved to Southern California five years earlier to start their family. They welcomed their second son, Dexter, in June 1945.Dana attended University High School in Santa Monica, where he was President of the high school club, The Barons, started by the iconic vocal group of the 1960s, Jan and Dean. Jan and Dean were hugely influential in stoking the musical flames of Dana and his brother Dexter.In 1961, Imperial Records signed Dana and Dexter to a record deal. Their singles "Static" and "Here Comes My Baby" concurrently climbed the Top 10 Billboard music charts in Vancouver, Canada. It also spent some time on the top of the charts in Australia. But, just as fast as Dana and Dexter climbed the charts, they dropped back down into musical obscurity, never to sing together publicly again.He made the shift from Baron to Bruin by attending UCLA in neighboring Westwood. There, he received a Bachelor of Science and an MBA. Additionally, and even more significant, Dana shifted from single to married when he wed Priscilla Diane Press, also of Uni High, in the summer of 1963. Dana and Diane soon moved south to Orange County, California, where they welcomed four kids over the next five years. Dana's first career spanned over twenty years as a Residential Developer in Newport Beach. He developed over $100,000,000 in real estate there – even naming the streets of a housing tract in Costa Mesa after himself and his four children.In 1995, his second career as a Mortgage Broker began. He quickly became one of the nation's largest sub-prime mortgage companies. He held licenses in 47 states, with volume exceeding 5 billion. Dana rode that wave of success until the subprime housing crisis hit in 2008. The fallout of that crisis wasn't pretty, but Dana never let life's challenges dull his shine.Dana is survived by his brother Dexter and his wife Sally of Seattle, Washington, son, Dennis Smith and his wife Maritza, and their two children, Gavin and Alaina, of Hollywood Hills, California, daughter Danielle Smith of Santa Ana, California, daughter Debbie Smith of Austin, Texas, daughter DeeDee West and her husband Rod of Long Beach, California. The "Damn D's" would like to personally thank Dana's life-long best friend, Jim Griset, of Newport Beach, California, for being the most steadfast and devoted friend a human being could ever have. We will miss Dana deeply, but we will remember him every time we ride a train, wear bright colors, or eat a spoonful of peanut butter. There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date.