Harry 'Dwight' Smith

If the heavens appear a little brighter, it’s probably because Harry “Dwight” Smith left this life on Nov. 4, 2021, and is spreading love and laughter there now.

Dwight was born Oct. 6, 1932, to Roy and Gladys Smith in Minot, North Dakota, the youngest of six children. He enjoyed telling stories about his childhood adventures that resulted in a near drowning, twice being hit by cars on his bike and surviving polio.

Dwight was a star athlete at Minot Model High School and after graduating in 1950, went on to be a three-sport letterman at Minot State Teachers College. When he wasn’t playing a sport, he was an avid hunter and fisherman

Dwight was drafted into the Army in 1954 and was stationed in Japan where he competed on the Army skeet team. Following his military service, Dwight returned to Minot to teach and coach. He married Patricia Wald on June 1, 1959, and they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary shortly before her death in 2019.

After teaching and coaching in North Dakota and eastern Montana, Dwight and Pat moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1963. Dwight taught history, coached, and enjoyed the outdoor activities Sandpoint offered. His propensity for accidents continued and became a family joke. After a particularly long period of time without any serious mishaps, the ER staff at Bonner General hospital sent him a card saying they missed him.

Dwight attended summer school at the University of Idaho and Washington State University where he earned two master’s degrees in counseling and became an avid Cougar fan. He finished his career as the Sandpoint High School boy’s counselor.

Dwight loved animals and twice brought home dogs that other men were going to abandon. He turned them into amazing hunting dogs and beloved family members. He passed his love of the outdoors, enjoyment of playing and watching sports and rescuing animals to his daughters and grandsons.

Following his retirement, Dwight and Pat moved to Pullman, Washington, to be close to their three grandsons and attend as many Cougar sporting events as possible.

Dwight genuinely enjoyed children and was “Papa” to many of his grandsons’ friends and his neighbors. Because of the pandemic, Dwight didn’t get to meet his first great-grandchild, Jacob and Heather’s daughter Harley, but he delighted in pictures and videos of her. She will know her great-grandfather through the influence he had in making her daddy such a good man. Dwight also enjoyed gathering people together to share good times and good food. He is greatly missed by everyone who experienced his quick wit, passion for sports and love of family and friends.

There will be a party in Dwight’s honor in Sandpoint on March 19, 2022, hosted by his family, Laurie Smith-Nelson (Mike Nelson), Cody Wilson (Kim), Jacob Wilson (Heather), and Ryan Heath (Laurie). Contact the family (dwightsmithparty@gmail.com) for more details. If you want to honor and celebrate the man who shaped so many lives, go outside, have some fun and find the humor in life. Gather friends and family to share a meal, think of him during Cougar sporting events and toast him with a Kokanee beer.