David Bryant Smith

David Bryant Smith was born in Bridgeport, CT, on August 25, 1925. He was married to the love of his life, Patricia ‘Patti’ Keating, also of Bridgeport, for 70 years. It was love at first sight for this WWII Navy Veteran, and Patti fondly remembers meeting 'this incredibly handsome, funny man-Wow! he looked like a movie star!’ They were married in 1950 after he graduated from UCONN on the GI Bill, and the newlyweds lived for several years in Glendale, California before returning home and raising four children in Fairfield, CT in a new neighborhood with other veterans and large young families - it was the start of an incredible marriage and growing family. Dave was a fun-loving, devoted husband who loved taking Patti and the four kids to the Fairfield Beaches and Lake Mohegan and big family parties with his cousins and mom’s sisters nearby. His true passions were UCONN basketball and major league baseball, especially the Brooklyn Dodgers ‘Boys of Summer’ and later the New York Mets and Red Sox. He also reveled in big-band jazz, especially Stan Kenton, the Champions on Parade competitions, and he hosted a jazz show at UCONN as the DJ ‘Delta Dave’. Dave played softball on dozens of teams until he was 85!-and for decades with the family church - the First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield.

Dave was a true patriot, historian and war hero - he fought in the Pacific Theatre on the USS Oahu; one of the largest repair ships in the Navy Fleet that helped win the pivotal battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was a member of The American Legion and annually marched in Memorial Day parades with other WWII veterans. And, if you wanted to know anything the history of the world, from Caesar to Columbus to General McArthur - Dave was an encyclopedic source and raconteur. He was also a proud ex-CT State Trooper (1954-62) serving and protecting the Merritt Parkway and the newly christened I-95. He was one of the arriving troopers in Torrington and Winsted at the flood of 1955, helping rescue residents from this devastating storm of the century. He would later be hired by the Fairfield Police Department as a part time officer, a second job to his career in Hartford as an executive with the CT Department of Housing. Some other career milestones were being named the Directors of the Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce and The Barnum Festival, plus PA announcer at Kennedy Stadium for the semi-pro Bridgeport Jets, and a reporter for Pro Football Guide.

Dave and Patti lived in Fairfield for 25 years before moving to Branford and later retiring ‘On Golden Pond’ in Madison; a wonderful large home by a lake and only a few miles from Hammonasett and Madison beaches. They loved everything the quaint, classy town of Madison had to offer and hosted annual family Christmas reunions and summer holiday cookouts at the Surf Club. He is survived by his wife, brother George Hayward Smith, children Robin Jackson(Thomas), Wendy McWade(James), Eric Smith(Mary Ann) and Laurel Davis(Sam) and grandchildren/great grandchildren Heather Jackson, Sean Jackson, Jacqueline Elander McCarthy, Chelsea Elander Luft, Jamie Elander, Virginia Smith, Tyler Smith, Sammy Davis, Brooke Davis, Logan Jackson, Liam and Reilly Hoffman.

Due to covid-19 restrictions, services will be a private family memorial.  In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s memory may be made to Disabled American Veterans, 55 Willard Avenue, Newington, CT 06111.  To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.

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