David Smith (February 21, 1948-April 22, 2026) was a brilliant visionary. He was kind and generous and lived much of his life in service to others. He mentored youth, supported many men and women with their journeys to sobriety, and was an outspoken champion for gay men and lesbians, people living with HIV and AIDS, and those who struggled with addiction.

David was born to Joseph and Dolly Smith, the second youngest of seven children and grew up in Merrick, New York where he met his high school sweetheart, Peggy Deuchar, whom he later married in 1968. In 1980 he met and fell in love with, Tom Foley, with whom he lived until Tom’s death from AIDS in 1986. Although David and Peggy ended the marriage, they remained lifelong friends and she was his primary support person at the end of his life.

David began his life of service early. In Merrick, he served as an Ordained Elder of the Community Presbyterian Church and for nine years as the adult leader for Boy Scout Troop 277. After studying at SUNY Plattsburgh, David returned to Merrick where he taught social studies at Calhoun High School, and then at Rockville Center and in New Jersey. He obtained a Doctorate in Education at SUNY Albany, conducting an ethnographic study of gay teachers for his thesis. An expert on homophobia, he was passionate about gay history, gay culture, and gay rights. He served on the board of the Capital District Gay Community Council and two stints as Coordinator of GAYLA, an annual conference for gay men at the Ferry Beach Park Association, a Unitarian Universalist conference center in Maine where he also spent multiple years volunteering as a youth conference leader, board member and on multiple committees. He was a founding board member of the Community Research Initiative of New England, one of the first organizations to help bring clinical trials to community-based care settings, and a co-founder of the Living Center, a drop-in center for people living with HIV in Connecticut. In Connecticut he also donated his talents to the HIV Action Initiative, the Greater Hartford AIDS Collaborative of the Hartford Foundation, and the Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. He also volunteered with the Coalition for AIDS and Addiction Resources in Boston. Later in his life he volunteered with the Stonewall Library and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Florida.

David was multi-talented and had a diversified career. Much of his work focused on managing programs that delivered education and support. As Education Director of the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York in the early and mid-1980s, he was among the first in the country to bring AIDS education to public schools, churches, and prisons. There he established a lunch program for people with AIDS, because he understood the importance of feeding people as a way to bring them together and to nourish them spiritually as well as physically. Later HIV-related jobs included being the Client Services Director at AIDS Project Worcester, the Director of the Mobile AIDS Resource Team at Victory Programs in Boston, and Associate Director of Community Research at the Yale AIDS Program. Other community-oriented work included being the Executive Director of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, teaching at the Walden School in New York, acting as an Alcohol and Drug Consultant to the State of Connecticut Department of Education, and leading sexuality education and teen pregnancy prevention policy work at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. He was a gifted educator and presented at multiple conferences and workshops. He was a therapist on the Pride Unit at Fort Lauderdale Hospital and provided quality assurance expertise to the Broward County Human Services Department. Additionally, he was a real estate broker in Connecticut and worked as a management consultant in New York City.

David had a sharp wit and was often outrageously funny. He held himself and those around him to high ethical standards. Frequently the smartest person in the room, he had no patience for stupidity and was willing to call people out when he perceived them to be intellectually or morally wrong. He was always his authentic self and lived unapologetically, even if that sometimes cost him. He was a loyal and beloved friend and family member. He is survived by his sisters Sr Cathy Smith and Mary Bryant, a passel of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews, and friends who loved him dearly.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 18, 2026, in the Eleanor B. Forbes Memorial Chapel at Ferry Beach Retreat and Conference Center in Saco, ME. Park near the Grove camping area on Route 9 and walk across the field to the Chapel. Rain location will be the Rose Pavillion, also across the field. Visit www.ferrybeach.org for directions or call (207) 282-4489 to arrange for overnight accommodations.