Longtime Alaska resident Curtis J. “Smitty” Smith died at home Nov. 13, 2007, following a brief but courageous battle with cancer. He was 61.

Smith was born June 20, 1946, in Tarentum, Pa., to Ginger Jones and Darl Smith.

Smith and brother Lane arrived in Alaska Jan. 10, 1971, in their Volkswagen Beetle. He worked various jobs, but only as they allowed him to hunt, fish and trap. Even with the cancer diagnosis, Smith considered himself more fortunate than most people because he had been able to live his dreams. As a younger man, he fished commercially in Chignik and his best times were the seasons he spent guiding and trapping in the Talkeetna Mountains with old John Luster. Through his many years as a big game guide, Smith was involved in more than 40 successful dall sheep hunts, including his own 41-inch ram. He raised his children on the moose and caribou he shot each year, and used the earnings from the furs he trapped to supplement the family income.

In more recent years, Smith was able to pass his love for Alaska and its bounty to his children and grandchildren through annual family camping trips to the Kenai Peninsula to fish and dig clams.

He is survived by Cathy “Casey” Smith, his wife and companion of 30 years. He is also survived by his children, Kim (Kevin), Nicole, Curt Jr. and Wendy (Robert); daughter-in-law, Teresa; brother, Lane (Karen) Drury; 14 grandchildren; three nieces, all of the Mat-Su Valley; and sister, Ruth (James) Fox and family in Cheswick, Pa. He will also be missed by many other friends and relatives throughout Alaska and western Pennsylvania.

A celebration of Smith’s life will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Dec. 8 in the Salvation Army building behind City Hall in Palmer. Refreshments will be served and everyone is encouraged to bring a story to share with the family. His ashes will be interned with full military honors in the family plot at the Pioneer Cemetery in Palmer on May 17, 2008.

Flowers will be appreciated at the celebration of life or memorial donations can be made in Smith’s name to Mat-Su Regional Hospice, 950 E. Bogard Road, Wasilla, AK 99654. Arrangements were made through Alaskan Heritage Memorial Chapel and Crematory in Wasilla.