NEW ORLEANS, La. — Timothy Kevin Smith, 50, of 4909 Camp St., New Orleans, La., passed away on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, at Touro Infirmary after a short illness.
Born in Meadville on Dec. 5, 1958, he was a son of the late Jack and Mildred Smith. Tim graduated from Meadville Area Senior High in 1977 and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in music performance.
He married Patricia Vernier in 1978. They co-owned and managed a gift shop in downtown Meadville for several years. They divorced in 1991.
He was a gifted guitarist who was fluent in jazz, fusion, rock and world music. Tim performed in several local rock and jazz bands in the 1980s, most notably Freefall, The Edge, Option 30 and Blue Windows. He moved to Silver Spring, Md., in 1992, where he managed the House of Musical Traditions, an ethnic music store, and founded the Timothy Smith Group. He also performed and recorded with his sons in the New Orleans band Kerfunk and gave private guitar lessons. In addition to his outstanding musicianship, Tim will be remembered for his quick wit and lively sense of humor.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother Michael. He is survived by two sons, Roan Mark Smith and his wife, Kristina, of New Orleans, and Kelly Carlyle Smith, also of New Orleans; two brothers, John Smith and his wife, Andrea, of Franklin, and Thomas Smith and his wife, Suzanne Van Nuys, of Hyattsville, Md.; as well as several nieces and nephews.
The public is welcome to attend a celebration of Tim’s life to be held at St. Brigid’s Parish Center, 967 Chancery Lane, Meadville, on Nov. 14 at 3 p.m.
The family suggests memorial donations be made to the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, 2820 Napoleon Ave., Suite 890, New Orleans, La. 70115.
Arrangements were under the direction of Schoen Funeral Home, 3827 Canal St., New Orleans.
