Mr. John Bradford Smurr Esq.

John Bradford Smurr was born on November 24th, 1942 and lost his battle to early onset Alzheimer's Disease on Tuesday, September 1st, 2020. He suffered with the disease for 13 years before succumbing to it. He is survived by: Annette (Tamamian) Smurr (his wife of 26 years), his son Sean Henry Smurr, his daughters Zoë Anne Smurr Byers and Abigail Rose Smurr, his son-in-law Micah Byers, and his grandson Benjamin Grigor John Byers; and many, many close friends. He is also survived by his brother James Smurr of San Jose, California. John was born at San Francisco General Hospital to John Bryant and Mary Louise Melvin. He was born and raised in the Roman Catholic Church, and later attended First Armenian Presbyterian Church in Fresno, California. John loved his Irish heritage and was known for his annual St. Patrick's Day parties. He grew up in Hillsborough and San Mateo, California, and attended Menlo Atherton High School, Class of 1960. He then attended Stanford University, Class of 1964. He followed in the path of his grandfather and great-grandfather by attending law school at University of San Francisco, Class of 1968. He lived in the Haight during the Summer of Love and could often be found at Golden Gate Fields due to his passion for the horse races. He was a die-hard 49er fan and a legend in his own time. John has had his "brushes" with fame. The summer that the Beatles performed their last concert in San Francisco, John, who was working for the teamsters union at San Francisco International Airport as a parking attendant, drove one of the decoy limousines. John was childhood friends with Jeff Buckingham, the older brother of famous Fleetwood Mac guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham. When Joan Baez was first being marketed by her manager, she was scheduled to play at all Bay Area high schools, and John recalls seeing her perform at a school assembly when she was just 16-years-old, before her fame in the folk scene. John was a lifelong advocate for justice and civil rights. During his time at Stanford University, he was a member of the trailblazing ATO fraternity, and was immensely proud of the fact that his fraternity was the first to pledge a Black student, for which they lost their charter. As the Vietnam War raged on, John felt compelled to enlist in the Marines while he was attending USF Law School. He ultimately was not physically qualified due to a high school football injury, which left him with a metal plate in his shoulder. After he graduated law school in 1968, he began his first job as a research attorney for Federal Judge M. D. Crocker in Fresno, California, due to his friendship with the retired Hon. John "Nip" Gallagher. Following that internship, he became a Deputy District Attorney for Fresno County. Within a year, Fresno County organized its first Public Defender's Office, which he joined under Mel Nitz, Hugh Goodwin, and Hon. Ed Sarkisian, among others. He was then invited to join the Wild, Carter, & Tipton law firm as a criminal defense specialist. Following that, John, along with Dominick Mashinas and other partners, left to open their own practice. He later partnered with Jerry Henry and Timothy Gelegan to form Smurr, Henry & Gelegan, which was successful in several areas of the law for many years. After that, he became a sole practitioner before retiring. In his 40 year career in Fresno's legal community, he defended and helped an enormous amount of people and had an incredible impact on the lives of many in the Fresno area. John was an active member of The Other Bar and California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, and mentored many young attorneys over the course of his career. He was highly active with pro bono work and was known as "The Lawyer's Lawyer." John was comfortable in the company of princes and paupers. He was the most gregarious, generous, kind person you could ever meet. He was an avid cross country skier and had a love for Sun Valley, Idaho, where he owned a condominium and would often take his family on vacation. He had a nearly photographic memory, which made him a winner at the racetrack more often than not. But, his children were his prizes; they were the apple of his eye. He adored, and was adored by, his wife and his children. We know that he will be received with open arms into the loving embrace of God, and all the angels and saints, as he enters into heaven.