Clarence C. Smith

Born June 11, 1929 in Baltimore, Maryland, Clarence Cornelius Smith, Sr. was the second son of the late Mary Elizabeth (nee Pratt) and Daniel Clifton Smith.Clarence began his formal education in the Baltimore City Public Schools and continued his quest for educational growth while serving in the United States Army. He was trained in several fields but most experienced in the area of payroll and finance.Clarence married his high school sweetheart, Dolores Shorter, in 1947. From this union, their children Lorna Artis, Clarence Jr. and Brad Courtney (who preceded him in death) were born.He obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Army and served eleven years including a tour of duty in Alaska. After discharge from Oakland Army Base on November 9, 1965, he remained in Oakland, California. Although Dolores and Clarence divorced during his time in the Army, through the years he remained in contact with his entire family as well as friends.It was in Oakland in 1969 that he met his beloved Marva (nee Harvey) Washington. They united together for thirty-five years of devotion and commitment to one another and raised together Marva’s (then nine-year old) son, Byron Keith Washington.During the forty-some years Clarence resided in San Francisco, he worked at a variety of jobs. He was employed with the United States Postal Service, then as a longshoreman and for twenty years, drove a taxi. In 1989, he joined Marva as an employee at the University of California San Francisco Hospital and medical Center. He worked in the Cell Culture Facility as a Laboratory Assistant/Driver for the next seven years retiring in 1996. He formed wonderful friendships at UCSF that lasted throughout his retirement.Clarence was an ardent jazz fan, and avid sports fan, a voracious reader, a terrific history buff and a fabulous cook, he enjoyed potting and growing beautiful flowers and luscious foliage to adorn the apartment and balcony. He especially enjoyed vacations to the Nevada resort spas in Lake Tahoe, Reno and Las Vegas and the annual Jazz and Blues Festivals in Monterey, California.Loving, caring, giving are the words that describe Clarence best. He had a generosity of spirit that touched the very heart of all those he met and his life was enriched with the return of their love and generosity tenfold.On January 29, 2004, Clarence quietly slipped away.Clarence leaves to cherish wonderful memories: his adored wife, Marva; his beloved children, Lorna, Clarence, Jr. (Loretta) and Byron; five grandchildren, James W. Artis, Jr., Clarence C. Smith III, Troy Counts, Donna Jones (O. Malik) and Stacy Smith; four great grandchildren, Ricky Thompson-Artis, Malik and Myles Jones, and Domenic Smith; two sisters, Margaret Mears and Constance D. Higgins (his sister Floried Parks predeceased him); a brother, Daniel Clifton Smith; sisters-in-law, Phyllis Eley and Alice D. Smith; nieces, Tamara Brown, Joyce (George) Nelson, Jackie Nelson, Romaine (Luke) Durant, Jill Smith, Ellen Smith and Patricia Merritt; a nephew, Daniel Smith; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Clarence C. Smith

June 11, 1929 - January 29, 2004