James F Smith

James Franklin Smith (Jim) was born on February 19, 1940, to Josephine Dollarhide Smith and Franklin James Smith in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Jim's family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon when he was 5 years old. There, he attended Washington and Lincoln Elementary Schools and Grants Pass Junior High before graduating from Grants Pass High School in 1958. He was a star athlete in high school, playing four years of football, basketball, baseball, and track, during which time he earned 10 varsity letters and was awarded five All Conference honors in football and baseball. As a baseball All-American, Jim had pro offers and was also selected to play in both the North/South All Star Baseball game and the Shrine All Star Football game. These are all details Jim would never have offered up in conversation; he was as humble as they come.

Urged by his father, Jim put a pro baseball career on hold to pursue his education and college athletics at Stanford University. There, he was a proud member of the Phi Delt Fraternity, a standout pitcher on the Indian/Cardinal baseball team and led his Indian/Cardinal football team as a quarterback. His athletic versatility was really something special. An injury to his shoulder, however, put him on a different athletic path which led to him becoming an accomplished, self-taught golfer. Jim won 14 club championships at Grants Pass Golf Club in his lifetime. The first was in 1964 at the age of 24 and the last was in 1996 at the age of 56.

After graduating from college, Jim returned to Southern Oregon where he pursued his love of sports along with fishing and rafting on his beloved Rogue River. Jim had a strong belief that a person to which much is given, much is required, and he felt blessed as someone to which much was given. He modeled this by becoming a high school teacher and coach in both Klamath Falls and Grants Pass. This tenet also led to his family business funding 100% of the GPHS Girls and Boys Golf teams for many years.

His transition into business came when his family established what eventually became Southern Oregon Medical Center. Jim wore many hats, from a surgical custodian to an ambulance driver, ultimately becoming the hospital's Administrator. Greater Oregon Health Service, another business established by his family, was where he further honed his business and leadership skills as the Director of Marketing. He believed wholeheartedly that empirical knowledge was the best teacher. He learned from those that had gone before him and those that were "on the front lines". He always hired people that knew more than he did and treated them like family. He cultivated a culture where people felt extremely valued, who in turn gave him 110%.

Jim's life motto was to be an ENCOURAGER. He approached every opportunity he had with this at the forefront, whether it was on the sports field, with his family, or in the boardroom. He worked to motivate people so that they not only felt an integral part of the team, but also the value of going forth as an encourager of their own.

Jim was lucky in many ways, and his ability to see life on Earth as his Heaven was a tremendous gift. Jim lived life to the fullest, laughed easily, forgave effortlessly, and loved deeply. Kindness was his standard. His wishes for those wanting to honor his life are indicative of how he lived. Tip your hat to Jim while spending time by a river or a stream, letting the riffles tell their stories. Catch a Salmon on a fly. Listen carefully to the chorus of birds. Play a round of golf. Spend time in the Wallowa Mountains and feel the spirit of the Nez Perce. Let the people close to you know you love them. Be an encourager.

Jim passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on November 15, 2022, at 82 years of age. He is survived by his wife Leslie, daughter Stacy Hartley (Chuck), stepdaughters Cheryl Krieg (Jim), Lyndsey Donnerberg (Joe), Courtney Fernandez (JR), stepson Kevin Ekerson (Michelle), grandchildren Keely, Stephanie, Charlie, Wiley, Gus, Owen, Hope, and Ruby, sisters Helen Smith, Merrily Nealy and Maureen Rice, 9 nieces and nephews and a countless team of friends that he endeared himself to in his lifetime.

The family will have a private graveside service, along a river, to celebrate this honorable, kind, encourager.

Jim's friend from Stanford and founder of Equine Empowered Therapy, Mike (RU) Dunn, recently shared that "Jim was particularly enthralled by individuals that had lost the most, who nevertheless embraced what they no longer had, and found productive and powerful energy for their lives ahead". In honor of Jim, Equine Empowered Therapy has established "The Beacon, Using What You've Got". Information and ways to donate to The Beacon in Jim's honor, can be found here: https://www.equineempoweredtherapy.com/.