Stephen Smith

1936 - 2015

Stephen Waldeck Smith

Aug. 28, 1936 - Dec. 1, 2015

On December 1, 2015, Stephen Smith passed away peacefully at the Stanford Medical Center after a brief illness at the age of 79. Up until his final days, Steve found joy in sharing time, memories, and laughter with his family, friends, neighbors, and with his loyal dog companion, Myles. An East Bay Area native and second generation Californian, Steve was born on August 28, 1936 in Berkeley, California as the son of Jesse Smith and Alice Waldeck and the youngest brother of Tom and Susan Smith. When he passed away, Steve was happily married living in Palo Alto with his loving wife of 34 years, Daniela Barnea.

Steve grew up in Piedmont playing baseball and even then loving his family dogs, Irish Setters. In 1954, he graduated from Piedmont High School and attended UC Berkeley where he lived in the ZBT fraternity house, played on the Cal baseball team and met his first wife, Linda Capin. They married in 1959. When Steve's father, Jesse, suddenly passed away, he left Cal to run the family business, Smith's Clothiers, which was founded by his grandfather in 1886. Steve lived and worked in Oakland for over two decades, growing the business to a chain of 24 stores throughout Northern California and Nevada. The chain was one of the largest purveyors of Levis in the state, until Smith's Clothiers closed its doors after 102 years in business.

Steve then moved to Emeryville, married his soul mate Daniela in 1981, and after residing in Piedmont for several years, the family of five relocated to their current home in Palo Alto in 1993. Steve embraced an entrepreneurial spirit and had several business ventures after Smith's Clothiers. For the last 20 years of his life, he enjoyed working independently and pursuing a career as an investigative accountant, as the founder of Auditsmith & Associates, with his devoted dog by his side and surrounded by family memorabilia in his downtown Palo Alto office. Throughout the years, Steve also took great pride in cheering on his wife Daniela to shine in all of her many athletic and artistic endeavors.

Steve was the beloved father of his five children, Jesse Smith, Leslie (and Mark) Silberman, Jonathan ("Jon" and Teresa) Barnea, Michal ("Mishkie") Barnea-Smith and Shelley Barnea-Smith (and Juan Diego "JD") Carluccio and a cherished grandfather to his six grandchildren, Julian and Sophia Smith, Zellie and Alysa Silberman, and Asher and Desmond Barnea.

Steve will always be fondly remembered as a kind-hearted and gentle man, whose loyalty, humor, and caring, humble, and generous ways touched the lives of so many around him. He was an avid fly fisherman, a passionate sports fan, an animal lover, a talented and creative artist, an amusing storyteller, a savvy business owner, a trusted confidant, and a dedicated family man. Steve was quick to support those in need of help or advice, without judgment or need for acknowledgement, and he consistently encouraged his loved ones to follow their own path and find their own happiness. Steve demonstrated such genuine compassion for others and clung to an unwavering attitude that, despite the considerable challenges he faced over the course of his life, he would bend over backwards to make sure others felt happy and secure.

A family graveside service will be held on Sunday, December 6th at the Hills of Eternity Memorial Park in Colma. Following the service, a celebration of Steve's life will be held at 2:00 pm at the Redwood Grove picnic area near Mitchell Dog Park in Palo Alto, where he faithfully visited every afternoon with his dog park friends. In lieu of flowers, the family has established an on-line fund for those who would like to make a donation in his memory, to purchase a memorial bench at his beloved Mitchell Dog Park and to protect Fall River, and other Northern California trout rivers, where he spent so much time fishing: www.gofundme.com/jpdb242c