Fred T. Smart, Jr. Obituary (1928

Born June 15, 1917 in Seattle, WA, and died January 15, 2012 in Redmond, WA. He is survived by his daughter Marie Morrow; his grandchildren, Erik Wallgren, Teri Wallgren, Jason Morrow; and his great-grandchildren, Derrick, Joshua, Elyssa, Zachary, Jacob, and Haylee. He was preceded in death by his sister, Billie Smart, in 2011, and his loving wife of 52 years, Muriel (Price) Smart, in 1994. Fred attended Highline High School (Seattle) where he excelled both scholastically and athletically, playing football, competing in track, and swimming. He went on to attend Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, where he continued to achieve inside and outside of the classroom. Dean Edgar J. Taylor placed Fred on the honor roll as an undergraduate, prior to earning his Ph.B. in 1939. He then graduated from Gonzaga Law School in 1941, receiving his J.D., as well as the special distinction of magna cum laude. While at Gonzaga, Fred spent one year on the football team and was a very successful middleweight on the boxing team, regularly knocking out his opponents. Physical fitness and sport was always an important part of his life. He believed it built both physical and mental toughness, character, and a good work ethic. After graduating from law school, Fred volunteered to serve his country in World War II. He held the rank of Master Sergeant in the Army and fought at Iwo Jima. Upon returning from the war, Fred was eager to spend time with his wife, Muriel, and begin practicing law. The couple ended up settling in Seattle, and that is where the two of them started a family and Fred quickly began building his reputation as an outstanding lawyer. He did a little bit of everything as a young attorney, but ended up making a name for himself with personal injury defense and was known as being a tenacious trial lawyer. Early in his career, Fred happened to cross paths with another young and talented attorney, Nelson Thomas (Tom) Lee. The two quickly struck a friendship and decided to partner in a law practice together. They worked diligently to build a successful firm that to this day still bears their names; Lee-Smart, P.S., Inc. Fred was a member of the Catholic church, regularly attending Mass and supporting St. Joseph's in Seattle. Fred carried his passion for sport as a young man, onto a passion for following his favorite teams as he aged. He could regularly be seen attending Sonics, Mariners, Huskies, and Seahawks games. Some of his favorite stories to tell were when he and Muriel would go watch Elgin Baylor play basketball for Seattle University. His face would just light up telling those stories about Elgin. And then there was the story about the two of them sitting courtside at a Sonics game when Jack Sikma dove for a loose ball and ended up in Muriel's lap...and she almost didn't let go of him! Fred was passionate about many things in his life, but none more so than his family. He would do anything for any of us. He was always willing to provide advice, but also allowed us to make our own mistakes and have our own successes. We will miss his smile, his wisdom, his laugh, his generosity, and the list goes on. Fred T. Smart; beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Rest in peace. In loving memory of Fred & Muriel Smart, who will now be able to spend eternity together, an Old Irish Blessing; "May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you." In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made in the name of Fred T. Smart to: Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Foundation, One Intrepid Square, West 46th St & 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036, via phone 1-800- 259-4636, or online at https://www.alzinfo.org/donate. Thank you. Private family services will be held at Holyrood Mausoleum, Shoreline, WA.