Richard Guy Smith, "Smitty", of Riegelsville, Pa. died Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at his home. He was 68.

He was the husband for 36 years to Mary E. Van Gieson, and father to his beloved daughter, Kathleen V. "Katie" Smith.

Smitty was born in Queens, N.Y. on June 20, 1952 to Eleanor (Harris) Smith and the late Jean Martin Smith.

Smitty was a glassblower, woodworker, antique furniture restorer, and collector supreme. He was lucky enough to turn his passions into a career at "Riverview Antiques" in Upper Black Eddy, owned by his close friend Kathie Brown. He was interested in basically everything and was a lifelong student of history, nature, Eastern culture, art, music, and more. He had affection and compassion for all animals and made sure that those closest to him were always taken care of.

He touched the life of anyone he met, whether a simple interaction or a deep relationship, and will be missed by those who had the honor of knowing him.

In addition to Mary and Katie "Kate", he is survived by his brother-in-law, James P. Van Gieson and wife, Kathy, of Foster, R.I., his nephews, Ben Van Gieson, wife Lindsey, and daughters Hadley and Talia of Sterling, Mass., and Mike Van Gieson of Dexter, Ore., and cousin, George Van Gieson of North Middletown, N.J.

In lieu of flowers, a contribution to any of the following would be appreciated: Friends of the Delaware Canal, Riegelsville Fire Co., Sierra Club, Upper Bucks EMS, Smithsonian Institution, Free Tibet, American Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art or The Center for Animal Health and Welfare.

Please submit remembrances through the funeral home's web site below.

Heintzelman Funeral Home,

Hellertown, Pa.

www.heintzelmancares.com

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Intelligencer on Aug. 27, 2020.

Memories and Condolences
for Richard Smith

Sponsored by Heintzelman Funeral Home, Inc. - Hellertown.

46 Entries

Jim

August 22, 2022

Whenever I think of Smitty, I think of his ability to focus intensely, his resolve to gain and retain knowledge and skills and his many victories over problems and setbacks.
These are positive and effective reminders for me in my daily journeys.

Glenn Boothby

September 27, 2020

My wife and I stopped by the store today 2 say hi to smittie. To our shock we found out from his wife and daughter that he had passed almost one month ago. We actually pulled into the parking lot as his wife and daughter were putting signs out by the road. "temporarily closed" . We were so incredibly shocked to hear this sad news about smittie. I spent many hours at the store discussing glass with smittie. It was always fun and we both learned from each other. My wife and I pray 4 Mary and Smitty's daughter. My wife and I will greatly miss smittie. He was a good man. God bless him and God bless his soul.

Groom and Best Man - 10/22/1983

Katie Smith

September 16, 2020

Nancy Bottone

September 13, 2020

I have such fond memories of my second cousin Richie. Always kind, a gentle soul. I hang his hand blown glass on my Christmas tree every year. Heaven gained another beautiful angel.

Riegelsville 1986 or 1987

September 9, 2020

Hoboken - View from our kitchen window by RGS

September 9, 2020

Just a little peek into this man's amazing skills.

Jim Van Gieson

September 5, 2020

Just a peek into one of Smitty's mind-blowing skills.

Susan Albert

September 5, 2020

Having just read all of the beautiful tributes written by friends and family alike there is little that I can say. Everyone seems to have captured the true essence of Smitty from his intelligence and his wit to his kindness, generosity and his willingness to share his diverse knowledge. One thing that I can add is how highly he spoke of his family - Katie it was very evident to me that he thought the world of you and your Mom. I know he will be missed by so many of the people whose lives he touched.

Stone Harbor, NJ - 10/1997

Katie Smith

September 4, 2020

Jon Stelman

August 31, 2020

Smitty could make an impression. When I first met him I was completely disoriented by his repose. He didn't need me to be impressed, scared, reverent, or at ease. I thought for sure I was misunderstanding something, and I struggled to figure out how I was supposed to act around him. It took many more visits to the Smith-Van Gieson home before I began to understand – Smitty did not want anything from me. I could simply be, and that was more than enough for him.

Over the years I was lucky enough to get to know Smitty well. He would teach me about anything and everything, from Tibetan Buddhist rituals to glassblowing techniques to Americana folk-rock records. He loved to learn and often asked me to share with him some of my expertise. We always met as equals, just two people, and I don't know that it occurred to him that it could be any other way. Smitty was also perceptive and generous, and over a few years I amassed a small trove of artifacts and treasures which he would offer to me whenever I visited. He found beauty in so many corners of nature and humanity, and knew how to highlight this beauty for others to see.

Smitty was a beautiful human, with a piercing genuineness that was unparalleled. His lack of pretense, his reservation of judgement, his pure curiosity - all of these are things I have never seen with such intensity in anyone else I have met. He loved his family with an even greater sense of awe and wonder, and imparted so many of his best qualities to his daughter, who has been one of my best friends throughout life. With Smitty's passing the world has lost a gem of a human being. I am incredibly fortunate that our paths in life did cross; his memory will guide me always.

"It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got that Swing"

shirley markham

August 31, 2020

Shirley Markham

August 31, 2020

I knew Smitty pretty well for a few years - 1980 to 1990 or so. Then a little less. And finally not much at all, in the way old friends sometimes fade out of a person's life. But I knew him in the way that you never unlearn the essence of a person once you get to know him to a certain extent.

I met Smitty the same night Mary met him. She and I sat down at a piano bar in Greenwich Village one night in 1979 or 1980 next to a couple of scruffy dudes. I dated the friend for a while. Mary found the love of her life.

You wouldn't have known it by looking at him that night, but he was pretty smart in a quirky way. Mary was smitten, being the sucker for quirky intelligence that she has always been. A glassblower to boot! Calloused hands like sandpaper and a T-shirt full of burn holes to prove it. AND he held forth on any number of mildly interesting topics he always did love to talk.

And you'd never have known he was born in Queens, but I guess a person can be born anywhere. It was The South, especially southern Indiana, though, that most formed his character - a character formed in opposition to the prevailing ethos, for sure. He loved to talk about the Civil War, and there was something he identified with there - the hardscrabble character, the underdog. Also, someone misunderstood by Northern folks, someone who needed explaining. He loved to get under Mary's skin by letting loose a rebel yell. He could be a teaser.

I kept knowing Smitty because he was married to my dearest friend of longest duration, Mary and I having met in sophomore high school English class. Life went on - they moved to Pennsylvania and we stayed in New York and then New England. He grew dahlias, became a woodworker and antiques dealer and packed up his gas tanks and glass. He brought them out, though, for my husband's 50th birthday, sculpting an elaborate, antic joke about jazz. One of his many creative flights of fancy.

His interests broadened and meandered in the way self-taught scholars follow their passions. And he made a lot of new friends, judging by these pages - as we saw him less and less. Smitty stopped traveling altogether. We didn't get down there much.

Smitty was a complicated guy not easy to sum up with compliments and high praise. I struggle with his memory at times. But some words come easily: Kindness, generosity, honesty, curiosity, humility. He touched many lives for the better. He loved deeply. And he always did the best he could.

Shirley

1984 - Sam

Katie Smith

August 30, 2020

1990ish

Katie Smith

August 29, 2020

philip brandau

August 29, 2020

Smitty I'm glad our paths crossed, you shared all your knowledge joyfully. You shared your Love of Nature and life in this River community regularly and it was nice to see you loving it. You really beamed most speaking of your daughter Katie and wifie Mary, yeah they were pride and sunshine. I will miss your sense of humor, the folly of us humans! Yet you got a big kick out of the "Lawrence Welk Show," which I can now say,because of you, I can now watch the show and see it's goodness.
I will think of you when I see the muskrats in the Delaware Canal,hear the bullfrogs sounding off, watch the Osprey, Eagles,and Vultures soaring in the sky over the river. Don't worry your cats will be okay.
Phil Brandau

Jeanne Walton

August 29, 2020

Also want to extend my deepest sympathy to Mary

Darren D

August 29, 2020

In my experience, whenever someone is highly skillful or knowledgeable about a certain topic, it comes with a certain level of arrogance. But Smitty was truly an aberration in this sense, because for as talented, intelligent, and insightful as he was, he was equally as humble. If he could read all these kind notes everyone has left for him, he’d probably tell you he was undeserving of all that praise. But I hope that now he sees in himself what everyone else always saw in him – the kindness, the generosity, and the integrity that made him loved by anyone who knew him.

Much has been said about the depth of Smitty’s knowledge about a variety of topics – glass work, antiques, eastern culture, nature, history, and more – and trust me, it’s all true. But more impressive than his shear knowledge was his excitement for sharing that passion with others. Anytime you came to his house he’d be eager to show you his latest relic of the past, and often he’d end up giving you an antique from his collection to keep. He never grew out of that child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm, and he loved to inspire it in others.

Smitty had refined taste and deep familiarity with humanity’s greatest works of art, but at the same time he wasn’t above enjoying and laughing over a bad action movie. We could bond over our appreciation of masterpiece 19th century Japanese woodblock prints and cheesy Arnold Schwarzenegger action movies all in the same conversation.

Smitty was the most authentic person I’ve ever met in my life, and I mean that with no hyperbole. He did things his way and was his own person, never one for fads or trends, or subject to society’s expectations. It was reflected in everything about him, from what he liked, how he dressed, and how he lived his life. Smitty was uniquely Smitty, refreshingly honest and real.

He always treated me with kindness and respect, and though I was a few decades his junior, he treated me as an adult and an equal. It didn’t matter who you were, Smitty never talked down to anyone and gave every human being, young or old, the same level of respect. He was a role model to me and I will forever look up to him. First and foremost in Smitty’s mind was taking care of those around him and making them feel loved, even in little ways. The last interaction I had with him was him letting me know he purchased some cookies for me to enjoy upon arrival at his house, specifically without chocolate (I hate chocolate, yes I’m weird). It’s just another example of Smitty’s attention to detail and making sure he does the little things to make people feel welcomed (and yes, I devoured them in less than a day).

Though Smitty has left us in body, he lives on forever, reflected in the things he made, the things he loved, and the endless stories we’ll tell about him at the dinner table. It’s hard when someone passes suddenly; there are things I wish I could tell him, things I could show him, things I wish he knew. But there are other things that I do not doubt for a second – the love he had for his family, and the love they had for him.

I miss him and think about him everyday, and frequently find myself wishing I could tell him this or that, share some story, or pick his brain about something. I can still hear his voice and his hearty laugh in my head. I just hope I can measure up to half the man he was, be as authentic and real to myself as he was. He was a man of honesty, integrity, and most importantly love for everyone around him.

I just hope I can do right by him and treat his daughter with the love and respect that would make him proud.

Jeanne Walton

August 29, 2020

I first knew Smitty through his amazing blown glass ornaments, exhibited with a local group of craftsmen. They are intricately small and detailed with beautiful colors. I am so happy to have bought two before he gave up glass blowing. I next realized that he was also an expert craftsman at restoring antique furniture. He could examine a chest of drawers and knew exactly the date and details of its construction. It seemed that whatever he put his mind to, he would master....constructive curiousity. A rare talent and generous soul.

Brooklyn 1980ish

August 29, 2020

Current Cat

August 29, 2020

4th cat: Olive

August 29, 2020

3rd cat: Robert (Meathead)

August 29, 2020

2nd cat: Abigail

August 29, 2020

First cat: Clyde

August 29, 2020

Michael Graeff

August 28, 2020

I am truly saddened to hear about Smitty's passing. And more so that we lost track of him, and Mary and Katie over the past 12 years since moving from Riegelsville. I'll never forget the day I first saw him in 2001 sauntering down Sycamore Rd with his baggy pants and floppy hat as if he'd emerged from some wood after 10, 30 odd years. Couldn't help thinking he was in need of a good meal or ten! And then of course he came to a July 4th party several months later with the most deliciously rich Pineapple upside-down cake. It added ten pounds to us all. What a person he was/is. So much could be written about him: A relentlessly intellectual and curious person, infinitely creative and talented on so many levels and subjects. And most impressively he was profoundly human and consistently unpretentious.

We are lucky to have a few works of his which we'll appreciate with an added twinkle: a crystal clear glass angel that tops our Christmas tree each year, a carved Oak leaf center leaf of a table still waiting to be finished, a book on Japanese fine woodworking, and several of his large glass marbles that get picked up and pondered now and again. Life is short no matter how many years you live. But Smitty always gave me the impression he lived a thousand lives in a day. Got bless him.

11/1992

Katie Smith

August 28, 2020

Joan Schaffer

August 28, 2020

I was genuinely sorry to hear about Smitty's passing. I have really warm memories of spending time with your family as a child, and Smitty's kind presence was a part of that. I was always in awe of his artistry with glass, and I loved the delicate ornaments and other pieces that decorated my family's home over the years. The words that come to mind right now are from a poem by Longfellow: "Dead he is not, but departed, — for the artist never dies." This is especially true when the artist himself is as beloved and well-regarded as Smitty is. To Mary and Katie: I am so sorry for your loss. May his memory always be a blessing.

JULIA SEFTON

August 28, 2020

The world just got a little more boring! Oh Smitty, you were so delightful to be around, sharing your knowledge and your sly sense of humor. Always available to help others. I remember carrying Katie's swing set through the streets of Riegelsville whole from your house to ours...efficient and a parade at the same time.

Kristine Holland

August 28, 2020

I am terribly sorry to hear of Smitty's passing. He was among the nicest, gentlest people I've had the pleasure of knowing and he left behind a beautiful family to carry on his legacy. He was the first exposure I had to his skilled art of glass blowing and gave me first piece to treasure. Knowing we won't be regaled by his stories during holiday visits any longer tugs at my heart. I'm glad Katie and Mary are together during this difficult time and hope that with each day that goes by it becomes a little easier to smile and remember the better times.

1980 ish

August 28, 2020

1979 ish

Gail Geehring

August 27, 2020

Smitty was the light of my day when I got to see him at the store. He was so full of knowledge that he freely shared and taught me something every time I talked to him. Told me about his wife and daughter, and his adoration of furniture and bringing the life back into them. The world has lost a wonderful soul and he will be greatly missed by many including me.

Our daughter Emma best friends with Katie.

Ponder, Allen and Emma Goembel & Madnick

August 27, 2020

Smitty was a good father to Katie, the smiling blond on the right. He would take Katie on nature walks showing her the wonders of nature. Smitty never hesitated to help us when asked, he even helped move our daughter in Brooklyn to a 3rd floor apartment.
He was a Good friend and we will miss him.

Smitty and Katie at Allens birthday party in the antique shop in 1091

Ponder Goembel

August 27, 2020

Smitty, Mary and Katie were some our first friends when we moved to Riegelsville. This Photo show Smitty on the right with a piece of cake, Katie is in front of him. Allen and I will miss Smitty dropping by and sharing his knowledge about glass and other Interests.

Robert Raio

August 27, 2020

People come along once in a lifetime, that exude a positive energy and are profoundly kind, Smitty was that person. He had a plethora of knowledge on almost every subject, but never made you feel that you were not smart. Smitty was gentle, generous and most importantly a wonderful human being.
I am proud to say that he was my friend, and my only regret is that I did not get the chance to know him better.
My deepest condolences to his wife Mary, daughter Katie, and all of his loving friends and family.

Debra Raio

August 27, 2020

It was my great pleasure to know Smitty. He always had time to chat and you never felt rushed. I delayed many bike rides on Saturday mornings in favor of conversation.

Smitty led a very satisfied life. He loved his family, his work, his cats, fossils and living in Riegelsville. He would proclaim that there was no better view than gazing out at the Delaware river. He was so profoundly proud of Kate - he would beam when talking about her.

Smitty was a great baker. He would give you the shirt off his back. His endearing way of addressing me as "kid" warmed my heart every time. He was a true renaissance man who will be missed by everyone whose life he touched.

Craig Scott

August 27, 2020

Hello my name is Craig Scott. I would first like to send my condolences to smittys family. I have lived next to the antique store( where smitty worked) for 11 years now. Befor covid I don't think a day went bye where I didnt speak with smitty. I am very strongly going to miss our conversations. He often told me about his younger days and we would share storys on a daily basis. Smitty was one of the most kind hearted people I have ever met! He will forever be miss bye so many! I know fpr me it will be hard not to look next door every day after work to see if hes outside kneeling down having a quik brake from work.. always in our hearts!! Rest in peace Smitty...

10/22/1983

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

5/2010

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

1/22/1988

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

10/1988

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

1/1989

Katie Smith

August 27, 2020

Susan Cope

August 26, 2020

So sorry to hear of Smitty’s passing It was always a pleasure to listen to his many story’s on what he was working on or mailing out at the post office . He was a very intriguing person with much knowledge and a hearty laugh and smile . Thoughts and prayers to you Mary , and Kate so very sorry for your loss . Susan
Former clerk @ the Riegelsville Post Office

Marlene Arnholt

August 26, 2020

Smitty is without a doubt the most colorful character I have ever met. He was my fiercely loyal friend, generous to a fault and as entertaining a companion as anyone could want. He had a near encyclopedic knowledge of so many topics that there was never a lull in the conversation. I loved listening to him talk about antiques, fossils, music and writers, sitting at their kitchen table. The world isn't quite as interesting without him.

Jean Anthony

August 26, 2020

My husband Paul and i are so sorry to hear of Smitty's passing. I met Smitty's wife Mary at a craft show many years ago, where she was selling Smitty's beautiful hand blown glassware. We ended up buying their home in Riegelsville, as they were planning to move to another location in the same quaint town. I was impressed with his passion for art and music and nature. Our sympathies go out to Mary and Kate and his extended family.

Jim & Kathy Van Gieson

August 25, 2020

Smitty, our brother-in-law and dear friend, was a man of such diverse and accomplished talents that I find increasingly amazing as they are recalled here. He developed many skills and went on to master any that he set his mind to. Here are a few of them: The fashioning of precision, complex, custom lab glassware, beautiful high-art lampwork, (Ofttimes he'd create these wonders while being inspired while listening to Jazz, Classical or other styles of music. He could point to a particular feature of one of his Masterworks and tell you what passage was playing at the time of its creation.), woodcarving, fine antique furniture repair and restoration, among others.
Smitty was a self-taught scholar who became an expert in many fields. It was fascinating and enlightening to listen to him describe things in detail, while displaying precious items and printed references; Japanese Block Prints, sacred Tibetan artifacts, fascinating fossils, American and local historical facts, wonderful old hand tools and Art Glass were among his deep interests.
Listening to him talk to his Father-in-law, another impressive scholar, was sublime. The scope of these conversations were wonderful and unbounded. He could also make himself understood to the uninitiated about his interests just as well. Oh yeah, he could bake a fine pie too.
On a visit to relatives in the swampy New England woods, Smitty selected a large, comprehensive book on mushrooms from a bookcase, a piece of furniture that he had repaired, as matter of fact. Hours later, after exploring in the woods, he came in and told of the many mushrooms that he had found and several interesting facts about each. This was his way.
He was a man who never lost his childlike wonder. Our lives are enriched because his was part of them.
A far more important and admirable attribute was the will and strength to overcome very difficult personal challenges; to meet and beat them.
Above all, his love for his wife Mary and his daughter Kate is unbounded, consistent, eternal.
Jim & Kathy

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