Dave Royal Smith, 70, died Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington surrounded by his family. He was born on July 13, 1940 in Barre, VT, the son of Albert and Cora (Jacobs) Smith. He attended Montpelier Grade Schools and Montpelier High School. Following his schooling David served in the US Navy from March 31, 1959 to his discharge on March 28, 1963. On November 18, 1963 he married Connie Sherman. They later divorced. On June 18, 1994, he married Valerie Parker. Dave loved life. To know Dave was to love Dave. He came on strong but once you got to know him he had a heart of gold and would give you the shirt off his back or the last dollar he had in his pocket. Dave worked for twenty years as warehouse manager for VT Department of Liquor Control. Later with Safety Kleen as a truck driver and most recently with Bond Auto parts. Dave loved fishing and riding his motorcycle. He instilled the love of fishing in his grandchildren especially Ty and Lillie. From the time the water was turned on at camp on Campbells Bay till the frost was on the pumpkin, that was where you could find him. Over the 40 years at camp, he made hundreds of friends from all over. Certain folks rented the same camp year after year and always made time during their vacations to come over and visit and catch up on things that had happened in their lives in the past year. Dave loved that. Dave could have a strange sense of humor. He once purchased a new bed that once he got it home, found it was to short for him to sleep in (he was 6'5"). He remedied that situation by taking a chain saw and cutting off the foot board. Problem solved. He once didn't like the way gun smoke ended and simply shot the TV. One of Dave's favorite sayings was "had 5 wives but still have the same motorcycle." And the winter he decided to take his motorcycle apart in the livingroom in Marshfield, you had to be real careful where you stepped. Ever try vacuuming around hundreds of motorcycle parts? Not fun. Dave's love for animals was incredible. Over the years he had many cats and dogs. In July of 1991 we acquired Jasper. He quickly became Dave's best buddy. You never saw Dave at home without Jasper by his side. Dave even trained Jasper to fetch and return whatever Dave threw for him. Dave loved his grandchildren. It's a good thing he only had 3 as he was running out of room for tattoos on his arm for their names and dates of birth and some unique picture or object to commemorate each one. When birthdays rolled around, the sky was the limit. On Easter one year he was reading the paper that morning and came across a stuffed rabbit for sale. He called the number, got the address and the next thing you knew, in he walks with this stuffed rabbit almost as tall as he was to give to Lillie and who at the time was three feet tall. She loved it. When Chelsea got her license, Papa bought her a guardian angle to put over her visor to keep her safe. He was so proud of her. When all is said and done, take a few minutes to "Ponder" (one of Dave's favorite words) about the man we knew and loved, and the friend he was to us all and the good times we all had together. He will be missed. Survivors include his wife, Valerie Parker Smith; a daughter, Trudy Smith of Northfield; step daughter, Erin Delphia of Waterbury; step son, Dennis Parker of Barre; three Grandchildren, Chelsea Delphia, Ty Delphia, and Lillian Parker; niece and nephews. He was pre-deceased by his parents, and sister, Donna Wheeler. Calling hours will be held on 12:00-2:00 pm Saturday, July 24, 2010 at Guare & Sons Funeral Home. A memorial service and military honors will begin at 2:00. Following the service, friends will be asked to join the family at the American Legion in Montpelier for a time of fellowship. At this time the family would like to send a heart felt thank you to all the doctors and nurses who made Dave feel like family at Shepardson 4 at Fletcher Allen, especially Jamie. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts. And a Special thanks to Zeb, Willey and Spike for all their help and friendship throughout his difficult time. Thanks guys. Those wishing to send on line condolences may do so at www.guareandsons.com and go to Dave's obituary. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, VT Division, 55 Day Lane, Williston, VT 05495.