Fr. Walter Smith Obituary

Fr. Walter Smith, Class of 2004, reposed in the Lord on the evening of May 14, 2016, at the rectory of Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church (St. Mary’s Orthodox Church) in Waterbury, Conn.

A native of the state of Montana, Fr. Walter’s first career was as a professor of art history and art gallery curator/director. He taught art and directed art galleries in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Mississippi. A convert, he was received into the Orthodoxy at Holy Trinity Church of Kansas City, Kan., in 1996. In 2001, he took up full-time study at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary in South Canaan, Pa. Smith was ordained a priest in 2003 and graduated from the seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in May 2004.

Since his ordination, Fr. Walter served in several parishes: Holy Trinity Church, McAdoo Pa.; Holy Trinity Church, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada; Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Missoula, Mont.; and, most recently, Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Waterbury, Conn.

Presbytera Nancy Smith, who received her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Chicago in 2000, taught art history at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa., from 2001 to 2006. She also trained as a painter and iconographer, producing icons for Holy Trinity Church in Moose Jaw. Father Walter and Presbytera have one adult daughter, Flora. He has three sisters, Theresa McCarthy, Kathleen Donahue, and Patricia Hemphill, and one brother, William Smith. He was predeceased by his parents, Harold and Helen (McGeever) Smith.

May Fr. Walter’s memory be eternal. Please remember Presbytera Nancy, Flora, his siblings, and the faithful of The Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in your prayers.

Calling hours for Fr. Walter will be Friday, May 20, from 4 to 6 p.m. at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Waterbury, followed by a funeral service for a priest beginning at 6 p.m. A Divine Liturgy will be celebrated Saturday, May 21, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, followed by burial in St. Mary’s Orthodox Parish Cemetery on Stillson Road in Waterbury.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, 3125 N. Main St., Waterbury, CT 06704. The Naugatuck Valley Memorial/Fitzgerald-Zembruski Funeral Home, is assisting the family with arrangements. To send an online condolence, visit www.naugatuckvalleymemorial.com.