My greatest adventure began on the day I met you! And what an adventure it turned out to be!

In October of 1969, I first met Gerry. As he stood next to his red Camaro with a white double striped hood, California license plates, wearing cowboy boots and a leather fringe pullover jacket, I wondered, "Who is this guy?" During the trip to Salt Lake City. . .with him talking all the way there and back again. . . I began to get a clearer picture of who "this guy" was and by the time we got back I was INTERESTED!!!

What made him so interesting? He was a football player, trombone player, Student Body President, Early Morning Seminary graduate, Eagle Scout, and foreign exchange student to Brazil. He had a huge smile that matched his big heart and his gift of gab (I should have known he had Irish heritage) and a wicked wink that melted my heart. Throughout his life he would continue to have many varied interests.

After freshman year of college, Gerry chose to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was called to serve in the Sao Paulo Brazil mission. The Fall of 1970 found him in the Language Training Mission (LTM) learning Portuguese, necessary preparation for a successful two-year mission. I faithfully wrote each week and waited for his return. Back at BYU in the fall of 1972, he proposed, and we were married 2 ½ months later on December 22, 1972, in the Los Angeles Temple.

Upon graduating from BYU, Gerry and I moved to the Sacramento Area where he had been born and raised. His parents, Gerald Call Smith and Audrey Marie Williams brought Gerry up in North Highlands and he was the oldest surviving boy, having an older brother that lived less than a day. Three younger sisters would soon join him, Sharilyn, Laurilyn and Shelleylee. His mother especially doted on her darling boy Gerry, and he was given every opportunity to learn and experience this amazing world.

Gerry was expected to run the family business, Palm Acres Farm in Fair Oaks, CA as his father and grandfather (Isaac Homer Smith) had before him. Audrey championed education and so Gerry went to BYU first and completed a bachelor's degree in business with an emphasis in finance and marketing from the Marriott School of Business. Audrey's passion for education would prove a blessing for me and our five children who would later all graduate from college. Our life running Palm Acres Farm continually changed and kept our family on our toes. Palm Acres Farm also provided work opportunities for our children and countless young adults.

It was not uncommon for Gerry to call the house and ask for a few kids to "come up to the Plant and put up some eggs" (transfer eggs from a flat to a carton) for a customer who needed a last-minute delivery. Gerry's hand drawn maps for egg deliveries became legendary. Customer service was the heart of Palm Acres Farm and fostered relationships lasting decades. Gerry would also frequently invite one of the kids to ride with him to deliver eggs and other whole-sale items.

Our oldest son Logan worked side by side with Gerry at Palm Acres Farm for 14 years. Mixing Gerry's "gung ho, jump in with both feet first" management style and Logan's more methodical approach they guided the business through recessions, ever changing regulations, and the typical ebbs and flows of running a small family business. Answering calls at 3am and running to the rescue of a driver or a truck at some point in their route was not uncommon. In the last year of his ownership of Palm Acres Farm, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gerry and Logan ran the business with great success with just the two of them.

Gerry also started a second business, Palm Acres Auto Sales. It was a natural fit with his love of cars and his close friendship with the Brasher family. His first car being a 1930 Model A Coupe. He and his father bought it, fixed it up and that was the first car he drove to attend Highlands High School. We still own that car and a 1930 Model A pickup truck. He loved to go out on drives in those cars. The world seemed to be a friendlier place as people would smile and wave and that suited him just fine! He also loved driving fast and was thrilled when he was able to buy a Bronze Trans Am Firebird.

We were blessed with 5 children, our first daughter; Starr Dawn (Kory Jensen) was followed by Krystal Hope (Dax Holmstead), Logan Starr Smith (Antoinette Wright), Emerald Faith (Dwight Robertson) and Jordan Miles Smith (Jessica Day). Working together as a team to intentionally parent our five children, has resulted in them becoming our greatest blessings and joy. All 5 graduated from BYU! All five married in the temple; three of the five served missions! They have produced even more delightful grandchildren, 12 and counting: Tanner, Brayden, Lot, Seneca, Layla, Ty, Daisy, Lauren, Henry, Finn, Dahlia, and Beckett.

Gerry loved people and celebrating all parts of life, with swim parties, barbecues, fireworks (even setting a palm tree on fire one year) Easter Egg Hunts, (boiling and dying hundreds of eggs for customers) and Thanksgiving Feasts (8 pie minimum). Spending time with his family, his own children, and his sisters was important to him and everyone could feel it. He loved attending sporting events that his children or grandchildren were participating in. He also loved watching BYU football and basketball, GO COUGS!

Gerry loved helping, serving, giving and he could fix almost anything. As an Eagle Scout, he was pro-active in helping dozens of boys attain that rank as well, including his own two sons. He worked tirelessly to help build, create and oversee two large Boy Scout Encampments for 1000's of boys. His scouting experience helped as he assisted in four Handcart Treks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains along the Mormon Immigrant Trail.

Serving in the church and building the kingdom of God was always a priority to Gerry. He was an example of compassionate, servant-leadership as he counseled, labored for and taught children, youth and adults. He had a way of making everyone feel loved and important regardless of their background. He loved people and especially those he served with. The trust built between Gerry and Logan by working so long and close together in the family business continued in their church service as they served together in the young men's organization for 6 years. Some of the ways he served was as a Bishop in a family ward (Northridge Ward, Carmichael Stake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and then again as a Young Single Adult Ward Bishop (College Oak Ward), Counselor in the Stake Presidency, Stake Young Men's President, Stake High Councilor, and Temple Worker in the Sacramento Temple.

Gerry loved to travel. Each place was an adventure to enjoy, and he felt blessed to see so many areas of the world, including Egypt, Israel, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, Hawaii, Mexico, Hungary, and Austria. He also took his children to many of the Church History and American History sites in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and Utah. When we moved to Utah, he started planning monthly trips for the Starr sisters (my maiden name) and dubbed our traveling adventures: "Gerry and the Starrlets." (Carole Grothe and Tammy Starr) As my sister said, "I didn't even know that mining Topaz in Delta was on my bucket list!"

Gerry was loved by many and easy to love. Being married to Gerry was an adventure of a lifetime. I will be forever grateful that he chose me. . .to be his partner, friend, lover, and fellow adventurer. How grateful I am for the knowledge that our adventure does not end here but will continue into eternity!

I miss you so much. . . All my love, Robin

Funeral Information

There will be a closed casket visitation Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 9:30am-10:30am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 851 N 1200 E, Lehi, UT 84043 followed by the funeral at 11am. Gerry will be laid to rest at the Lehi City Cemetery following the funeral.

For those who are unable to travel to the funeral, the following zoom link will provide an opportunity for you view the funeral service:

Gerry Smith Funeral Service Zoom Link