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James Edwin Smith
Feb. 27, 1943 – July 17, 2022
James Edwin Smith passed away July 17 after contracting liver cancer. He was born to Eleonore Louise Dugan and Edwin Merle Smith Feb. 27, 1943 in Orange City, Calif., when his father was stationed there in the Air Force.
He was a paper boy and then started sweeping the meat department at Van’s Market at 15 years old. He lived in Sacramento and El Dorado counties for most of his life. He loved the grocery business for 60 years.
Pitching softballs was his hobby and sports in general. He umpired baseball and basketball. He was concerned about people and their life struggles.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years Rebecca; his children Pamela Bennett (Tom), Julie Mercado (Randal), James Jr. (Denise) and Shawn who passed in 2004.
He is a loving grandpa to Melissa, Andrew, Kristin, Randy, Rueben, Rylee, Raygan, Whitney and Ashley. He is the great-grandfather of 12. He was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of LDS when he was 19 years old.
His memorial service is July 30 at 1 p.m. at 3431 Hacienda Road in Cameron Park, Calif. https://www.mtdemocrat.com/obituaries/james-edwin-smith/
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Bevan Richardson
James went to Ethel Phillips elementary school on Franklin Blvd. We we classmates there for several years. He was a very short member of our class. The school boys coach, Coach Boyette, nicknamed him Smitty. That name stuck and we all continued to call him Smitty whenever we were with him or referred to him. Smitty was very fiesty, probably related to his size. We went to Stanford Junior High and we took some classes together. In a shop class which was very rowdy (this was Stanford), Smitty got into a fight with the teacher, Mr Vares. He challenged Mr Vares to a fight in the school Gym. We never saw Smitty again that year. I didn't know until much later that he had been kicked out of school and finished the 9th grade at Cal Jr high. As a sophomore at McClatchy, Smitty wanted to play football. He was still so small that there were no uniforms he could wear and Coach Bican felt that he couldn't survive contact football.
He got a job at Van's suppermarket and started at the bottom cleaning floors and then bagging and then checking. Eventually Smitty was a store manager and then a regional manager. A real example of working your way up and being recognized for his successes. I thought that all of our classmates were born in 1942, but somehow Smitty got into school a little early, having been born in 1943. I am very sorry to hear about his passing. He was someone who I had known "forever" and it was always good to see him and catch up on the progress of his life.
Gilbert Gonsolis
I have know Smitty since we were really young, about 3 rd or 4 th grade. He was the ony kid shorter them me. He stayed short I think till after high school. At one of our early reunion, we met, and he was now taller then me,snd just.like Every one grew taller except me. He was alway a fisty a little guy and one day we got into a fight, and he asked me at one of the reunions, did he win, and I said no, I won. We got a big kick out ot that.I remember him well and have fond memories of our days in school. I remember him being in the grocery bus.and ended up in high menagement. Going to miss him. Gil Gonsolis
Furman Lee Bunyard
Like Bevan and Gilbert, I also remember Smitty from our time at Ethel Phillips elementary school. I was even younger than Smitty, started first grade at age 4, a year younger than normal. My mom could never remember exactly how that happened, she remembered taking me to the school with my birth certificate to register and somehow I got entered in 1st grade. Not 100% sure what grade we were in or if Smitty was with us-I think he was-but Coach Boyette took a bunch of us one time to a night-time basketball game against another elementary school, no idea where but I remember it seemed like a long bus ride. Coach gave each of us a shirt and pair of shorts to wear for the game and I think all of the guys played at least a little bit, including me. I remember it well because I was given a pair of shorts that were WAY too large, had trouble keeping the shorts pulled up. Someone passed me the ball at one point, I started dribbling down the court and my shorts started slipping down, I was trying to keep them up with my left hand, but when the shorts dropped below my buttocks I freaked and threw the ball away and the other team grabbed it. I was so embarrassed. I don't think Coach sent me back out to play again. LOL I thought Smitty was with me at Joaquin Miller Junior High but evidently not based on Bevan and Gil's recollection.
I think Smitty lived in Diamond Springs outside Placerville, I saw and chatted with him several times when he was manager of the Placerville Lucky's grocery store. We weren't close friends but he was always friendly to me and I admired his feistiness for a small guy. Godspeed, Smitty.