Ted Smith

1937 - 2021

 James Edwin Smith, born March 21, 1937, headed to the Chief Official’s scoring tent after completing the final round of the Tournament of Life on Monday, July 26, 2021 at age the age of 84 years.

 Remaining spectators in the gallery are his wife, Sharon (nee Caldwell); daughter Cheré; son Ryan (Kerrie); grandchildren Sampson and Cedrick; brothers Ron (Carol) and Keith (Jeanie).

 His son Cameron and good dog Clay checked out before him, as did his mom and dad, Frank and Marie Smith; sister Shirley (Arlen) Agren; brothers Delmont (Gillian) and Bryant. 

 Ted signed the scorecard with some significant stats. He won over 140 golf tournaments in Alberta, British Columbia and Montana and was inducted into the Taber Sports Hall of Fame. He won the Alberta Amateur Golf Championship in 1972 and represented Alberta on the Four-Man Senior’s team competing for the Canadian Championship from 1992 to 1995. Ted even played in a foursome with golf greats Billy Casper and Greg Norman at a tournament in Salt Lake City.

 Golf was not his only game. He won an open turkey shoot at age twelve. Ted was the star of the Pincher Creek Mustangs basketball team, often scoring thirty points per game. His corner shots that never touched the rim were responsible for his nickname, “Swish”. He later played for the Milk River Madge Flyers, winning the Alberta Senior Men’s Championship. Ted was the pitcher on his high school baseball team. As in baseball, his adage was “Never be afraid to strike out, just go ahead and play the game”. Ted would follow an elk track on foot for twenty miles and was successful in bagging his elk seventeen years in a row. In the winter he loved to snowmobile, never being satisfied until reaching the highest peak above the clouds. 

 Second best was never an option for Ted, and this applied to his horses too. Ted imported quality Tennessee Walking Horse mares and stallions from Tennessee and Oregon. Canadian Perfection and Hot Lightning from his Tennwalk Stables won several Alberta and Western Canadian Supreme Grand Championships.

 His motto was “work hard, play hard”. Besides running a successful welding business for forty five years, he trained numerous apprentices and taught pressure welding at Lethbridge College. Ted welded hundreds of miles of pipeline across Alberta and the large diameter aqueduct serving the St. Mary River Irrigation District.

 Media had a hard time getting an interview with Ted, as he was known as The Quiet Man. His friends in Needles, California where he wintered in later years called him “Straight Ahead Ted” for two reasons: first, his golf ball never veered from the center of the fairway; and second, he was a straight shooter, honest in his dealings. His handshake was his bond, and he treated his employees and friends with equal respect. 

 Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ted was a teetotaler, but his friends included those of every stripe.

Those who gained his confidence knew Ted as a man dedicated to his family and one whose greatest joys were the accomplishments of his daughter Cheré and son Ryan. He enjoyed long sunsets and happy trails. Ted was first to admit that his best playing partner was his wife Sharon, who stuck by him through the good as well as the tough times. 

 A private graveside service was held at the Taber Memorial Garden on Friday, July 30, 2021.

 If friends so desire, the family requests that memorial tributes in Ted’s name be made to Ryan’s rehabilitation fund to cover two months hotel stay in Vancouver as he recuperates from his recent kidney transplant. E-transfer to , or mail to Ron Smith PO Box 898, Magrath, Alberta T0K 1J0.