Trevor's Eulogy
by Jared Smith
In Lafayette, Indiana on September 9, 1971, Roland and Nina welcomed
their 4th child, Trevor Gillette Smith into the world. Jim was grateful
for the addition of a brother to even the score against sisters Heather
and Dawnmarie.
In April 1972, the family moved to Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio
where they lived until January 1974, when a move took them to Germany.
Trevor was a fun-loving, mischievous child. On a layover to
Germany, Grandpa Smith gave him a length of clothesline to play with.
Trevor had it made into a lasso and would try to trap people in his
loop at the airport.
In Germany, the family grew with the additions of Traci, who
died at birth, and later Jaelene, and Daryl were added to the family.
Trevor's love of nature and the outdoors was manifested at an
early age. He could be found almost daily peeing outside, on the
neighbor's sidewalk, in a field, in the backyard, in the bathtub…
From childhood Trevor was a favorite amongst older people. His
boyish charm won the hearts of many older women who rewarded him often
with candy, much to the dismay of his siblings.
After returning home to Ohio in 1977, Trevor stared 1st grade
at Munson Elementary School. Our family was completed in 1978 with the
birth of Jared. Trevor became active in T-ball and later baseball.
His mischievousness got him into trouble many times when his
sisters were babysitting, as he would often run away. One time he ran
away barefoot, climbed a tree, and refused to come down. This type of
determination was helpful in other aspects of his life, such as
scouting. He developed a love of scouting at an early age. He could
often be found sleeping in his cub scout uniform. One time for a
scouting activity, whoever sold the most tickets for the scout-o-rama
would win a bike. Trevor desperately wanted to win. His persistence and
determination paid off as he sold the most tickets and was awarded the
bike despite stiff competition.
In high school Trevor was very active in the drama club. He
participated in all the plays, and went on a drama club trip to New
York City where he was able to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade
and several Broadway shows.
Trevor's determination and persistence was evident in his work
ethic. He was a hard worker and enjoyed the fruits of his labor. With
the money earned from working at the Brown Barn, he bought his first
motorcycle and paid to be tutored in math so that he could take a
calculus class in school. He later went on to take a physics class at
Lakeland community college.
Trevor felt a connection to the elderly and the less fortunate.
He loved to correspond with his Grandma Friend and often mowed a
widow's lawn.
During his senior year the family moved to Utah. Trevor had the
opportunity to stay in Ohio and finish his senior year, but felt it was
more important to stay with his family.
After finishing high school, Trevor completed a year at BYU before leaving on his mission.
Trevor served a mission to the Tokyo South Mission from
1990-1991. While there he developed a love to the Japanese people,
culture, and food that would last throughout his life. He was dedicated
to learning the language and studied long and hard to master it.
While in Japan, Trevor visited places Mother and Father had
been, taking pictures of their former home and compiling a scrapbook to
give them upon his return.
Trevor met Wendy at Mountain Springs restaurant where Wendy
was a waitress. Their first date came as a result of leaving his phone
number with his tip. They were married August 27, 1993 and Kendra was
born a year later on August 29, 1994. Throughout their married life
they lived in many old apartments around Salt Lake. Trevor grew to love
the city, the mountains and flowers. He loved being a dad and was
fascinated with Kendra at every stage of development.
It was during this time that Trevor met John and worked at the
Electronic Cottage on and off for a period of years. Over the next
several years, Trevor had various moves and always loved each city for
the beautiful scenery and nature he discovered. In Bremerton,
Washington, he loved the view of the sunset from his balcony and being
by the water. Most of all, he loved being close to Kendra again.
In Colorado Springs he loved being in the mountains and close to his family.
And in Redondo Beach, California, he loved living on the beach and the hummingbirds.
He was a very loving and generous person who was sensitive to those less fortunate and in need-particularly the homeless.
While in California, Trevor worked for Oriental Motor, which provided him the opportunity to travel again to Japan.
Trevor was in Salt Lake City on business when the accident occurred.
We are grateful to you for coming to share in Trevor's life. He was deeply loved and his absence will be a void in our lives.
Trevor was a special person. He was laid-back and had a great since of humor. He loved his daughter and appreciated the beauties and mysteries of life. John, Trevor and I regularly got together for late night poker games, where we would discuss philosophy, technology, religion and culture.
