Harold Roosevelt Smart

Dad was always involved in Sperry’s social events. He helped organize their famous Steak Night, and any lady was lucky to dance with him — he was so good at it. He played softball, bowled, and joined in Sperry’s golf tournaments. Some of my favorite memories are our trips to Myrtle Beach when I was little and dancing with Dad at the company picnics. He truly shined on a dance floor.

He also threw the best bonfire parties on his aunt and uncle’s farm off Rt. 20 in Charlottesville, where he spent so much of his youth. Later in life, he traded our beach vacations for time at my mom’s homeplace after her parents passed. He filled his garage with “toys” — tractors, a backhoe, and more — all so he could keep that land in good shape. Mom and Dad would meet up with Mom’s twin and her husband, and they would work hard and play hard all weekend long.

After retiring from Sperry, Dad drove for University Village and became well-known in doctors’ offices all across town. People always remembered his smile, his curls, and his instinct to help anyone who might need it. I grew up watching him pull over on car trips to check on drivers with their blinkers on — long before cell phones made that easy.

And then he became a grandfather, a role he loved with all his heart. The kids called him “Geedaa,” and they adored spending time with him — even more so when they were old enough to share one of his famous cocktails.

He was a really good man. Bladder cancer became his final battle, and Hospice of the Piedmont helped us through his last couple of weeks here on earth. But the memory that lives on is of the man with the curls, the smile, and the heart that gave endlessly.