Died while hiking in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. His death came only 17 days after his 30th birthday. He is survived by his loving wife Melissa and beloved 2 year old son Liam Christopher, both of whom were his greatest joy. Born in Lakenheath, England to Greg and Julie Smith, Gavin spent most of his childhood in Papillion, NE. He was a 1999 graduate of Papillion LaVista High School. Following graduation, he moved to Lawrence, KS to attend the University of Kansas where he lived until his death. Gavin was the owner of Fatso's Public House and Stage in Lawrence, KS, co-chair of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network, and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence. He was an active and respected member in the Lawrence community and cherished by so many. He was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Always willing to lend a helping hand to friends, Gavin will forever be remembered as a kind and loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. His passion for life and his love for the family and friends who meant so much to him was undeniable. He lived his days to the fullest, instilling a sense of grandeur while here on this earth. As one person recently commented, "Frankly, Gavin could probably be claimed to be the best friend of 100 people. He was that kind of guy." Because he lived and loved so grandly, it was only fitting that his life ended in such a wondrous and beautiful place as the Grand Canyon. In addition to his wife and child, Gavin is survived by father and mother, Greg and Julie Smith, McKinney, TX; sister Courtney Smith Love, brother-in-law Michael Love, 2 nephews and a niece, Jack, Noah and Caroline Love, Dallas, TX; sister and brother-in-law, Jennifer and Mike Kraisan, nephew and niece, Devin and Madalyn Kraisan, St. Louis, MO; paternal grandmother Charlotte Smith, Bowling Green, KY; and numerous family members. He is preceded in death by paternal grandfather Willard Smith; and maternal grandparents, Harold and Florine Manning.
SERVICES Thursday, October 7, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence at 3pm, followed by a CELEBRATION of Gavin's life at Liberty Hall at 4-6pm. Family Inurnment will be at Pioneer Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to: Gavin C. Smith Memorial Fund to benefit Liam Smith through Peoples Bank in Lawrence, KS.
WARREN-McELWAIN FUNERAL HOME
120 W. 13th Str. Lawrence, KS 66044
785-843-1120
----------------------------
From the Omaha, NE. World Hearld Newspaper:
The trip began as a way for five graduates of Papillion-La Vista High School, entering their 30s, to spend some quality time together before watching a friend get married in Las Vegas.
It involved a camping trip and a hike down the Grand Canyon.
It ended with one — Gavin Smith, considered to be the most mature and most cautious of the group — dead.
"There is never going to be anyone who can replace him, which goes without saying, but is painfully obvious now," said Tim Yates, who found Smith's body.
Funeral services for Smith will be Thursday in Lawrence, Kan., where he lived with his wife and 2-year-old son.
His death, apparently heat-related, occurred during a hike 17 days after his 30th birthday.
Smith was the owner of Fatso's, a bar about four blocks from the University of Kansas campus.
He was a co-chairman of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence.
Yates said he first met Smith in Little League when the two were in elementary school. They became closer during high school.
"Gavin was one of those guys who always knew the answer," Yates said. "Extremely charismatic. ... He was one of those people you just never had any reservation of confiding in."
After high school graduation, Smith attended the University of Kansas, studying business and politics. It was there he met his wife, Melissa.
"From that point on he was a different guy," Yates said. "Where he was (once) frivolous and just a boy like all the rest of us, he became a man much earlier."
The couple had a son, Liam.
The wedding of another friend afforded Yates, Smith and three other close friends a rare opportunity to get together.
"We are all living in different parts of the country at this point," said Yates, a radiology resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. "Most of us are at least married with a child, or with a child on the way."
The five hiked down the Lava Falls Route, one of the most beautiful but also one of the hottest, steepest and most remote paths in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. The night of Monday, Sept. 27th, the men camped out.
They had a serious talk about their physical conditioning. Most — including Smith — had been training for months. All decided they could make it.
By 9 a.m. the next day, they had hiked half way down toward the Colorado River. It had been a trouble-free trip. But the second half looked a bit dicey to Smith. He had a wife and a son, he said, and didn't need to prove anything. He told his friends he preferred to wait, in the shade, while they descended and returned.
His friends had no problem with that, Yates said. Each stashed a liter of water at the site. Smith himself had a gallon.
The rest of the trip down was steep. And when the four reached their destination, they looked up and realized their friend might have been on to something by staying behind.
They began the climb back up, but soon realized they were on the wrong path — a common occurrence, Yates said. They returned to the bottom and tried again. Once more, they could not find the route they came down on.
By late afternoon, the temperature had surpassed 100 degrees. Two of the remaining four decided to wait for temperatures to drop. Yates and another started climbing again.
That pair separated temporarily, and Yates, when approaching the top, saw Smith lying on the ground.
"I obviously was screaming his name as I was running towards him," Yates said.
The condition of Smith's body indicated he had been dead for at least four hours.
"It was one of the most lonely moments of my life," Yates said. "This was my best friend."
At some point, Smith had left the halfway point and began the lone climb of a half-mile back up. He died about 100 yards from where they had started out that morning. He was out of water.
His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. The National Park Service said his death appears heat-related. The medical examiner told Gavin's father that Smith did not have in his system electrolytes adequate for the conditions.
"He got close, but when you get overcome by heat stroke it can just take you," said Greg Smith. "It's a rugged climb. You're climbing up. You can be close and far away."
SERVICES Thursday, October 7, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence at 3pm, followed by a CELEBRATION of Gavin's life at Liberty Hall at 4-6pm. Family Inurnment will be at Pioneer Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to: Gavin C. Smith Memorial Fund to benefit Liam Smith through Peoples Bank in Lawrence, KS.
WARREN-McELWAIN FUNERAL HOME
120 W. 13th Str. Lawrence, KS 66044
785-843-1120
----------------------------
From the Omaha, NE. World Hearld Newspaper:
The trip began as a way for five graduates of Papillion-La Vista High School, entering their 30s, to spend some quality time together before watching a friend get married in Las Vegas.
It involved a camping trip and a hike down the Grand Canyon.
It ended with one — Gavin Smith, considered to be the most mature and most cautious of the group — dead.
"There is never going to be anyone who can replace him, which goes without saying, but is painfully obvious now," said Tim Yates, who found Smith's body.
Funeral services for Smith will be Thursday in Lawrence, Kan., where he lived with his wife and 2-year-old son.
His death, apparently heat-related, occurred during a hike 17 days after his 30th birthday.
Smith was the owner of Fatso's, a bar about four blocks from the University of Kansas campus.
He was a co-chairman of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence.
Yates said he first met Smith in Little League when the two were in elementary school. They became closer during high school.
"Gavin was one of those guys who always knew the answer," Yates said. "Extremely charismatic. ... He was one of those people you just never had any reservation of confiding in."
After high school graduation, Smith attended the University of Kansas, studying business and politics. It was there he met his wife, Melissa.
"From that point on he was a different guy," Yates said. "Where he was (once) frivolous and just a boy like all the rest of us, he became a man much earlier."
The couple had a son, Liam.
The wedding of another friend afforded Yates, Smith and three other close friends a rare opportunity to get together.
"We are all living in different parts of the country at this point," said Yates, a radiology resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. "Most of us are at least married with a child, or with a child on the way."
The five hiked down the Lava Falls Route, one of the most beautiful but also one of the hottest, steepest and most remote paths in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. The night of Monday, Sept. 27th, the men camped out.
They had a serious talk about their physical conditioning. Most — including Smith — had been training for months. All decided they could make it.
By 9 a.m. the next day, they had hiked half way down toward the Colorado River. It had been a trouble-free trip. But the second half looked a bit dicey to Smith. He had a wife and a son, he said, and didn't need to prove anything. He told his friends he preferred to wait, in the shade, while they descended and returned.
His friends had no problem with that, Yates said. Each stashed a liter of water at the site. Smith himself had a gallon.
The rest of the trip down was steep. And when the four reached their destination, they looked up and realized their friend might have been on to something by staying behind.
They began the climb back up, but soon realized they were on the wrong path — a common occurrence, Yates said. They returned to the bottom and tried again. Once more, they could not find the route they came down on.
By late afternoon, the temperature had surpassed 100 degrees. Two of the remaining four decided to wait for temperatures to drop. Yates and another started climbing again.
That pair separated temporarily, and Yates, when approaching the top, saw Smith lying on the ground.
"I obviously was screaming his name as I was running towards him," Yates said.
The condition of Smith's body indicated he had been dead for at least four hours.
"It was one of the most lonely moments of my life," Yates said. "This was my best friend."
At some point, Smith had left the halfway point and began the lone climb of a half-mile back up. He died about 100 yards from where they had started out that morning. He was out of water.
His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. The National Park Service said his death appears heat-related. The medical examiner told Gavin's father that Smith did not have in his system electrolytes adequate for the conditions.
"He got close, but when you get overcome by heat stroke it can just take you," said Greg Smith. "It's a rugged climb. You're climbing up. You can be close and far away."
Died while hiking in the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. His death came only 17 days after his 30th birthday. He is survived by his loving wife Melissa and beloved 2 year old son Liam Christopher, both of whom were his greatest joy. Born in Lakenheath, England to Greg and Julie Smith, Gavin spent most of his childhood in Papillion, NE. He was a 1999 graduate of Papillion LaVista High School. Following graduation, he moved to Lawrence, KS to attend the University of Kansas where he lived until his death. Gavin was the owner of Fatso's Public House and Stage in Lawrence, KS, co-chair of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network, and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence. He was an active and respected member in the Lawrence community and cherished by so many. He was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. Always willing to lend a helping hand to friends, Gavin will forever be remembered as a kind and loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend. His passion for life and his love for the family and friends who meant so much to him was undeniable. He lived his days to the fullest, instilling a sense of grandeur while here on this earth. As one person recently commented, "Frankly, Gavin could probably be claimed to be the best friend of 100 people. He was that kind of guy." Because he lived and loved so grandly, it was only fitting that his life ended in such a wondrous and beautiful place as the Grand Canyon. In addition to his wife and child, Gavin is survived by father and mother, Greg and Julie Smith, McKinney, TX; sister Courtney Smith Love, brother-in-law Michael Love, 2 nephews and a niece, Jack, Noah and Caroline Love, Dallas, TX; sister and brother-in-law, Jennifer and Mike Kraisan, nephew and niece, Devin and Madalyn Kraisan, St. Louis, MO; paternal grandmother Charlotte Smith, Bowling Green, KY; and numerous family members. He is preceded in death by paternal grandfather Willard Smith; and maternal grandparents, Harold and Florine Manning.
SERVICES Thursday, October 7, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence at 3pm, followed by a CELEBRATION of Gavin's life at Liberty Hall at 4-6pm. Family Inurnment will be at Pioneer Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to: Gavin C. Smith Memorial Fund to benefit Liam Smith through Peoples Bank in Lawrence, KS.
WARREN-McELWAIN FUNERAL HOME
120 W. 13th Str. Lawrence, KS 66044
785-843-1120
----------------------------
From the Omaha, NE. World Hearld Newspaper:
The trip began as a way for five graduates of Papillion-La Vista High School, entering their 30s, to spend some quality time together before watching a friend get married in Las Vegas.
It involved a camping trip and a hike down the Grand Canyon.
It ended with one — Gavin Smith, considered to be the most mature and most cautious of the group — dead.
"There is never going to be anyone who can replace him, which goes without saying, but is painfully obvious now," said Tim Yates, who found Smith's body.
Funeral services for Smith will be Thursday in Lawrence, Kan., where he lived with his wife and 2-year-old son.
His death, apparently heat-related, occurred during a hike 17 days after his 30th birthday.
Smith was the owner of Fatso's, a bar about four blocks from the University of Kansas campus.
He was a co-chairman of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence.
Yates said he first met Smith in Little League when the two were in elementary school. They became closer during high school.
"Gavin was one of those guys who always knew the answer," Yates said. "Extremely charismatic. ... He was one of those people you just never had any reservation of confiding in."
After high school graduation, Smith attended the University of Kansas, studying business and politics. It was there he met his wife, Melissa.
"From that point on he was a different guy," Yates said. "Where he was (once) frivolous and just a boy like all the rest of us, he became a man much earlier."
The couple had a son, Liam.
The wedding of another friend afforded Yates, Smith and three other close friends a rare opportunity to get together.
"We are all living in different parts of the country at this point," said Yates, a radiology resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. "Most of us are at least married with a child, or with a child on the way."
The five hiked down the Lava Falls Route, one of the most beautiful but also one of the hottest, steepest and most remote paths in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. The night of Monday, Sept. 27th, the men camped out.
They had a serious talk about their physical conditioning. Most — including Smith — had been training for months. All decided they could make it.
By 9 a.m. the next day, they had hiked half way down toward the Colorado River. It had been a trouble-free trip. But the second half looked a bit dicey to Smith. He had a wife and a son, he said, and didn't need to prove anything. He told his friends he preferred to wait, in the shade, while they descended and returned.
His friends had no problem with that, Yates said. Each stashed a liter of water at the site. Smith himself had a gallon.
The rest of the trip down was steep. And when the four reached their destination, they looked up and realized their friend might have been on to something by staying behind.
They began the climb back up, but soon realized they were on the wrong path — a common occurrence, Yates said. They returned to the bottom and tried again. Once more, they could not find the route they came down on.
By late afternoon, the temperature had surpassed 100 degrees. Two of the remaining four decided to wait for temperatures to drop. Yates and another started climbing again.
That pair separated temporarily, and Yates, when approaching the top, saw Smith lying on the ground.
"I obviously was screaming his name as I was running towards him," Yates said.
The condition of Smith's body indicated he had been dead for at least four hours.
"It was one of the most lonely moments of my life," Yates said. "This was my best friend."
At some point, Smith had left the halfway point and began the lone climb of a half-mile back up. He died about 100 yards from where they had started out that morning. He was out of water.
His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. The National Park Service said his death appears heat-related. The medical examiner told Gavin's father that Smith did not have in his system electrolytes adequate for the conditions.
"He got close, but when you get overcome by heat stroke it can just take you," said Greg Smith. "It's a rugged climb. You're climbing up. You can be close and far away."
SERVICES Thursday, October 7, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence at 3pm, followed by a CELEBRATION of Gavin's life at Liberty Hall at 4-6pm. Family Inurnment will be at Pioneer Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to: Gavin C. Smith Memorial Fund to benefit Liam Smith through Peoples Bank in Lawrence, KS.
WARREN-McELWAIN FUNERAL HOME
120 W. 13th Str. Lawrence, KS 66044
785-843-1120
----------------------------
From the Omaha, NE. World Hearld Newspaper:
The trip began as a way for five graduates of Papillion-La Vista High School, entering their 30s, to spend some quality time together before watching a friend get married in Las Vegas.
It involved a camping trip and a hike down the Grand Canyon.
It ended with one — Gavin Smith, considered to be the most mature and most cautious of the group — dead.
"There is never going to be anyone who can replace him, which goes without saying, but is painfully obvious now," said Tim Yates, who found Smith's body.
Funeral services for Smith will be Thursday in Lawrence, Kan., where he lived with his wife and 2-year-old son.
His death, apparently heat-related, occurred during a hike 17 days after his 30th birthday.
Smith was the owner of Fatso's, a bar about four blocks from the University of Kansas campus.
He was a co-chairman of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Network and a recent graduate of Leadership Lawrence.
Yates said he first met Smith in Little League when the two were in elementary school. They became closer during high school.
"Gavin was one of those guys who always knew the answer," Yates said. "Extremely charismatic. ... He was one of those people you just never had any reservation of confiding in."
After high school graduation, Smith attended the University of Kansas, studying business and politics. It was there he met his wife, Melissa.
"From that point on he was a different guy," Yates said. "Where he was (once) frivolous and just a boy like all the rest of us, he became a man much earlier."
The couple had a son, Liam.
The wedding of another friend afforded Yates, Smith and three other close friends a rare opportunity to get together.
"We are all living in different parts of the country at this point," said Yates, a radiology resident at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach. "Most of us are at least married with a child, or with a child on the way."
The five hiked down the Lava Falls Route, one of the most beautiful but also one of the hottest, steepest and most remote paths in Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park. The night of Monday, Sept. 27th, the men camped out.
They had a serious talk about their physical conditioning. Most — including Smith — had been training for months. All decided they could make it.
By 9 a.m. the next day, they had hiked half way down toward the Colorado River. It had been a trouble-free trip. But the second half looked a bit dicey to Smith. He had a wife and a son, he said, and didn't need to prove anything. He told his friends he preferred to wait, in the shade, while they descended and returned.
His friends had no problem with that, Yates said. Each stashed a liter of water at the site. Smith himself had a gallon.
The rest of the trip down was steep. And when the four reached their destination, they looked up and realized their friend might have been on to something by staying behind.
They began the climb back up, but soon realized they were on the wrong path — a common occurrence, Yates said. They returned to the bottom and tried again. Once more, they could not find the route they came down on.
By late afternoon, the temperature had surpassed 100 degrees. Two of the remaining four decided to wait for temperatures to drop. Yates and another started climbing again.
That pair separated temporarily, and Yates, when approaching the top, saw Smith lying on the ground.
"I obviously was screaming his name as I was running towards him," Yates said.
The condition of Smith's body indicated he had been dead for at least four hours.
"It was one of the most lonely moments of my life," Yates said. "This was my best friend."
At some point, Smith had left the halfway point and began the lone climb of a half-mile back up. He died about 100 yards from where they had started out that morning. He was out of water.
His body was turned over to the Mohave County Medical Examiner. The National Park Service said his death appears heat-related. The medical examiner told Gavin's father that Smith did not have in his system electrolytes adequate for the conditions.
"He got close, but when you get overcome by heat stroke it can just take you," said Greg Smith. "It's a rugged climb. You're climbing up. You can be close and far away."
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