Gary Scott Smith

Gary Scott Smith, 75, passed away peacefully on December 23 at home in Essex, VT embraced by his wife and daughter and a double rainbow. Gary was a kind, gentle soul who brought a quiet determination, fortitude and "can do" attitude to all aspects of his life, including his journey with Parkinson's Disease (PD).
Gary was born August 9, 1947, to Denton and Lois Smith in Washington, DC. Gary spent most of his childhood in W. Simsbury, CT before attending the University of Vermont where he met Valerie, his wife of 52 years.
Following graduation from UVM in 1969, Gary entered the U.S. Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander after 23 years. He primarily flew Sikorski H3 helicopters but also flew fixed wing aircraft during his 18 years in the Reserves. His love of all things flyable continued throughout his life, including family trips to Oshkosh, WI for the Experimental Aircraft Association air shows and building a kit airplane, which he was ultimately unable to finish due to PD.
Following deployment to Vietnam, Gary was a forester in Montana. He loved telling stories about his time in the forests around Kalispell, including being tracked by a mountain lion and chased around a tree by an angry moose. Many years later, Gary took great pleasure tending to the hundreds of Balsam fir trees he grew and gave away to friends at an annual Christmas party.
Gary earned a Masters in Remote Sensing at the University of Michigan, following which he returned to Vermont to start the Geographic Information System (GIS) program at UVM. A pioneer in GIS, Gary inspired many to enter the field through teaching and mentoring scores of students. Gary later founded Green Mountain Geographics, providing GIS services throughout the country and even some internationally. Highly respected in his field, he loved sharing his expertise with anyone who needed or sought his help.
Gary was an athlete throughout his life. He was a varsity soccer player at UVM, an expert skier (often in jeans), windsurfer, and runner. Gary began running marathons at age 50 and qualified for Boston at age 60. In all, he ran 12 full marathons and a number of family team marathons. One of his joys of marathon running was doing so with son Brian. Gary used his love of exercise to manage his Parkinson's, regularly participating in PushBack at Parkinson's and Movement for Parkinson's classes.
Gary's greatest joy was spending time with his family, including his dogs. He is survived by his wife, Valerie; children Scott (April), Brian (Amanda) and Sherry (Tucker); sister, Luayne (Derrick); grandchildren Anna, Ben, Sophia, Theo, Toby and Cora; cousins, nieces and nephews; and his beloved Golden Retriever, Balsam. He was predeceased by his parents, Denton and Lois.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Frederick C. Binter Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, especially Dr. James Boyd and nurse Jen Erwin, for their exceptional care. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Gary's memory to The Frederick C. Binter Center, Dr. James Boyd, 1 S. Prospect Street, Arnold 2, Burlington, VT 05401 or online Donate to Binter Center Donation Form (uvmhealth.org). A celebration of Gary's life will be held at a later date.