Robert Press Smith III

Long time Burlingame resident, Robert Smith, passed away peacefully at home on February 11 after health complications from long term kidney and heart illness. Born and raised in San Francisco, he then attended California College of Arts and Crafts. He was a lifelong artist working with several different mediums throughout his career and a passionate Art Teacher at Mills High School for over 40 years also working stagecraft in conjunction with the Drama Department. For most of his life, he was an avid sailor and member of the San Francisco Yacht Club. Competing in races in his younger years and later in life, day sailing and salmon fishing. Trains were a love of his for his entire life. In retirement, he designed and built an extensive G-scale garden railroad at his home which was on public tour for many years with the Bay Area Garden Railroad Society. In more recent years, he gifted a large scale live-steam engine which operates giving rides to the public through the Truckee Donner Railroad Society. He also designed and built to-scale railroad related buildings for the Truckee River Railroad where the steam engine runs. He is survived by his brother, Tom Smith (Teri) of Truckee California and his niece, Danielle Peterson (Doug) of Livermore. Per his wishes, there will be no service. Donations may be made in his name to the Truckee Donner Railroad Society https://www.truckeedonnerrailroadsociety.com/index.html