Born in 1925 and raised in Watsonville, CA, Lloyd was the second of three children of Lloyd and Grace Smith, and was the fourth generation of his family to live in the Pajaro Valley.
He was Watsonville’s first Cub Scout and later became the youngest Eagle Scout up to that time in California. Following graduation from Watsonville High School in 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps to serve in World War II. Lloyd was a sergeant in the aviation branch of the U.S. Marine Corps and was assigned to the Marine dive-bomber group in the South Pacific from 1945 to 1946.
He returned to California to attend Salinas Junior College (Hartnell) and then the University of California at San Francisco, where he earned his D.D.S. degree from the College of Dentistry in 1951. From 1948 to 1951, he also served as a Lieutenant in the Dental Corps of the U.S. Naval Reserves. While in dental school, he met and married Annette (Gilpatric) Smith, who was a nursing student in the UCSF College of Nursing. They were married for almost 60 years, until Annette’s death in May 2010. They lived in Watsonville and Corralitos for 43 years and raised four children, Gary, Brad, Scott and Jan.
After Lloyd’s retirement, they lived in Hollister for 16 years, and recently relocated to Santa Cruz.
Dr. Lloyd Smith made a lasting impact in the town where he was born. He had a private practice in dentistry in Watsonville from 1951 to 1994. For more than four decades, he was a leader within his profession and the community. During these years, he championed high quality education, health care, outdoor recreation, and social organizations for children and youth. Lloyd served on the Boards of Education for Watsonville Elementary, Watsonville High School, and Santa Cruz County.
He served for 28 years on the Monterey Bay Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and was Watsonville District Chairman for three years. He was the Watsonville Chairman of the March of Dimes for eight years and the Santa Cruz County Chairman for two years. He and Annette served on the dental and medical staff for the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the Hazel Hawkins Hospitals Foundation from 2005 to 2007.
The Watsonville Junior Chamber of Commerce named him Man of the Year in 1960. He was elected into the Watsonville High School Hall of Fame in 2005. He was a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, the Boy Scouts’ highest civilian honor. In addition, he received military honors for his service during World War II.
Lloyd had a strong work ethic, holding multiple jobs as a teenager and putting himself through school. He was a devoted husband and father and had a great sense of humor. He enjoyed the hobbies of golf, snow skiing, aviation, photography, hunting and fishing, bridge and travel.
He died peacefully on September 23, 2010, at age 85. He is survived by three children, Gary, Scott and Jan Smith; and four grandsons, Craig, Grant, Max and Nick Smith. It was his wish that there be no services. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hazel Hawkins Hospitals Foundation, 911 Sunset Drive, Hollister, CA 95023 or on-line at http://www.hazelhawkins.com/foundation/PDFs/HHHF_Donation_Form.pdf.
