Deceased April 5, 2015
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50th Reunion Book Entry
In Memory
My father, Doug Smyth—better known to many of his Amherst friends as Ferd—passed away late in the evening of Resurrection Sunday, April 5. I like to think he was pleased with the timing of his passing.
Dad grew up in Midland Park, N.J., and after attending nearby Pompton Lakes High School, he headed off to the Fairest College. He was proud of his time at Amherst, but I think he valued the friendships formed there even more than the education gained.
Rather than pursue a career in medicine, as his mother desired, Dad spent his life in sales, which should really surprise none of us. His gift for communication was rarely surpassed. He was a good judge of character and knew how to craft his words to best be received by the intended audience. When he joined Delta Dental of New Jersey in the ’80s, Dad found a place where he could truly flourish. He did well by DDNJ and was completely energized by his work there. He enjoyed training and mentoring his sales staff and seeing them succeed.
If there was anything that Dad treasured above all, it was his home, Green Pond. In raising his family there, he believed he’d done the very best by his children. In his retirement, Dad could sit for hours on the back porch (his office, as he called it) and simply enjoy the surroundings.
It was hard to watch Dad’s mind slow up in recent years. It really was more a question of memory than astuteness, though. The witty comebacks came more slowly, but they came nonetheless. He passed more quickly than we had, perhaps, anticipated, but I think he was anxious to shed the earthly body that could no longer keep up with his desires and joys.
Mary Lou Smyth