James (Jim) Edward Smith of Grande Prairie, AB, passed away on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the age of 76.

Jim was born on August 24, 1949, in Edmonton, AB, to Edward and Leda (Hart) Smith. The oldest of four children, he grew up in Jasper Place in Edmonton – back then, it was a long walk to even get the bus into the city. As a child, he helped on the farm and spent time on the family property at White Gull on Baptiste Lake.

In 1969, while an engineering student at the University of Alberta, he met Jennifer Hughes at Rutherford Library. They were married in August of 1970 and lived in a frugally furnished apartment in Lendrum Place while they finished school. When he graduated in 1972, he got hired by Procter & Gamble, and after a short stint in Florida, they moved to Grande Prairie for the opening of the new pulp mill. They lived in Grande Prairie, then Memphis, then back to Grande Prairie in 1982. Along the way, he started running marathons, including the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. After 14 years together, Jim and Jennifer welcomed their daughter Jacqueline and then, a few years later, their son Bradley. In 1997, Jennifer passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Jim married Janet in 1999 and added her daughter, Tricia, to his family. They especially enjoyed playing music together; he could play the violin or guitar for hours. They built their home together on an acreage near Evergreen Park – non-stop projects! Jim retired from the pulp mill after 32 years of leading engineering projects and operations management. After a short (very unsuccessful) period of retirement, he started consulting. In 2011, he was elected President of APEGA, an achievement he was proud of after many years of work in furthering professional engineering in Alberta and Canada. He was also involved as chair or a board member of several organizations, which helped in facilitating economic development in the Grande Prairie area and received his ICD.D designation in 2014. Jim contributed to GPRC for many years, serving on the College Foundation, advising on the engineering program, and designing and teaching courses on business and leadership.

His happiest phase of life began in 2019 when, with the birth of his first grandchild, he became “Poppa”. Anyone who spoke to him in recent years would certainly have heard stories about his grandkids. He would often say that after oxygen, the only thing he needed in life was his grandchildren. At the time of his passing, he had many big plans for adventures he would take with them.

He will be terribly missed by Janet, his wife of 26 years; his children, Jacqueline (Rick), Bradley (Vanessa), and Tricia (Michael); his dearly loved grandchildren, Rose, Jacob, Jack, Bennett, Milo, and Nolan; as well as his extended family.

He was predeceased by his first wife, Jennifer, and his sisters Cherie and Sue.

In lieu of flowers, his family would appreciate donations in Jim’s honour being made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation (www.heartandstrokefoundation.ca) or to the Grande Prairie Salvation Army (https://salvationarmygp.ca/). Please also sing your favourite song or plant a tree (maybe a blue spruce) in his memory.

“Don’t cry that it’s over, smile that it happened”

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 2:30 pm, at Evergreen Park - Clarkson Hall (55051 Township Rd 710) Grande Prairie, AB.