Brian Keith Smith

Brian Keith Smith left this world on Friday, the 13th day of March 2026. He was at home when he had an instant, massive heart attack. His wife of 45 years, Doris, was at his side when he moved on to a better place.

He was born in Peoria to Ruth Smith on June 18, 1956 and was raised there throughout his youth. He had one best friend throughout his childhood, Mike Utley. They were the same age and were both raised by single mothers. Brian had constant contact with his grandma, his grandfather died early, but Brian had many fond memories of them. Brian and Mike joined Cub Scouts and were Scouts until Brian moved to Terre Haute. They had many great adventures. Their favorite places were the river bottoms and all the various creeks and trails. They lost touch, but Brian loved his "brother" Mike. They saw each other but once and lost touch.

Brian and Doris returned to Illinois mainly for family funerals and family reunions. He moved to Terre Haute in 1973, his sophomore year. He went to Terre Haute South High School and graduated in 1975. He made many lifelong friends, most of whom have moved on. He went to Ivy Tech for one semester, then went into the workforce and moved to his own place. He met Doris when she was a freshman at ISU. They met by chance; his best friend was dating her best friend. They both wanted them to meet because they knew it would be a connection. And it was an instant LOVE! They dated until 1980 when they were married on August 31 in an outdoor wedding. The two flower girls were their youngest sisters and they became friends.

Brian had one sister, Melissa, and she was born in 1977. He was 21 years old and had started his life early with a good job and his own place. He was a wonderful big brother. He kept a constant presence in her life and was a great big brother. Doris had only a sister, at age eleven, named Blanche. They would often go on dates with Brian and Doris, mostly the numerous parks in Terre Haute for the playgrounds. They would play, and Brian and Doris would talk and walk. They all had a lot of fun and many adventures while they dated. This constant presence did last well into their adulthood.

Brian and Doris had no children, but did enjoy all children: family, friends, or strangers at the parks. Brian and Doris have a way with kids, and all kids loved them too. Brian and Doris were house parents in the mid-1980s at the Knox County Youth Shelter in Vincennes, Indiana. It was a temporary facility that mainly had troubled youth as residents who could stay up to 60 days if needed. Many would stop in to visit and give a good report. Brian worked mainly as a handyman with many repeat clients needing odd jobs done well. He was a handyman and Brian and Doris often worked together as such.

Brian loved all of nature and all of the outdoors. He was very creative and enjoyed working with wood most. He was also an abstract painter and would give away most of what he made to others. His favorite thing to collect were knives of any kind and fishing poles; he has many of both, with primitive and handmade being his favorites. His favorite pastime was fishing and drinking beer, and he was quite good at both. He was very, very reserved but he never met a stranger. Even though he was very shy, he would always befriend,anyone at any time or anywhere.

He was a devout Christian since childhood and walked a GOOD life!!! He went to any church he was invited to. He didn't attend church regularly or belong to a certain denomination. He was a vigilant watcher of various church shows on Sunday. He also followed many bible stories over the airways.

He stayed healthy and had his first physical since high school when he was 60. He had a robotic removal of his prostate in Indianapolis in 2016. All cancers were confined and he needed no additional treatment. In 2017, his testing showed he needed immediate surgery. He had two arteries 90% blocked and one at 100%. He had a triple bypass and did very well. Brian completed his cardio rehab and continued to stay active. Later, he had a stent placed in his right kidney and right leg. He also had retina issues and saw a wonderful specialist regularly. His vision remained sharp and he used glasses mainly for reading. He was in good shape, but walking became limited due to leg cramping. When hiking, a good friend gave him a three-legged folding chair to use as needed. He enjoyed life until he moved on to a better one.

His sister's favorite memory as far back as she can remember is going on walks with her "Bubby." He would make her grab his right thumb and walk on the inside of the sidewalk. Once, they found shed locust shells and Bubby hung them on her shirt and she loved it. Her shirt was covered! When mom saw that, she was horrified, and Melissa and Bubby laughed and laughed.

In lieu of flowers, please perform a random act of kindness in remembrance of Brian. He thanks you kindly.

And please leave a favorite memory or memories in the condolences, as there are many.