Howard Bruce Smith, 72, of Gila, New Mexico, passed away peacefully at the home of he and his wife’s best friends, Gail and Emanuel Stamler, with his wife Corinne at his side on November 23, 2022. Howard was born on March 4, 1950 in Steubenville, Ohio to the late Howard and Doris (Jensen) Smith. He was preceded in death by one brother, George Smith, and two sisters, Virginia Nichols and Barbara Devetski. Survivors include his wife, Corinne (Krause) Smith, and four nieces, Jenny Buchanan, of Michigan City, IN, Cara Fox, of West Lake Hills, TX, Erin Campbell of Dripping springs, TX, and Megan O’Dowd, of Kyle, TX.

Howard moved from Steubenville, Ohio to Michigan City, IN with his family at the age of nine. The elementary friends he made at Long Beach School made their way through junior high and high school together and their friendship continued to the end of his life. Howard attended and graduated from Indiana University where he majored in Political Science with a minor in History. He married his first wife, Nancy Mullen, in 1971. They lived in Joliet, IL, where he managed the Human Resources Department for Kemlite Corp. Following his divorce to his first wife, he moved to Denver, CO, where he worked as a salesman for Kemlite Corp[Ma1] .

His second wife to be, Corinne Krause, longtime friend from their high school years, joined him in CO, where they began their 45 year relationship. They settled in Evergreen, Co for the next 1½ years. Tired of working for someone else, he and his wife Corinne started a leaded glass and mirror business that they took to Bisbee, AZ where they opened up a small retail shop, “Reflexiones de Bisbee,” for the next 6 years. When their best friends moved to NM, they eventually visited the “Land of Enchantment,” where they fell in love with the Gila Valley. They moved to Gila in 1984 where his wife, Corinne, worked at the Cliff School, in Cliff, NM for the next 32 years. She became the breadwinner and Howard became the bread maker and was able to devote his time to many pursuits. He put his carpentry skills to work as he added rooms to what started as a two room home. He planted trees, raised bees, grew vegetables, many of which he canned, and joined many friends in work parties which was quite the thing in those early days. Living on acreage that included the Gila River, he and two friends began a partnership, “The Friends of the Gila,” to work on environmental issues that impacted the health of the Gila River.

His interests broadened as computer technology came on the scene and he had a natural affinity for repairing the peskiest problems that a computer could have. His IT skills were greatly appreciated by many residents in and around the Gila Valley, including the Gila Valley Library, where he volunteered his time as their IT person as well as serving on their board for 5 years. He loved helping folks in the Gila Valley. He volunteered at the Gila Senior Center for 2 years and built the signs for the Gila Valley Community Center and the Gila Valley Library which stand to this day.  When the local school went on a four day week, Howard turned his love of tennis into the start of a 5 year, free of charge, tennis program, for all of the Gila Valley students, K-12, who wanted to participate.  He was a natural born counselor, a great listener, and helped so many family members, friends and strangers through their challenging issues. He gave freely of his time and his money to those in need. He was the chief cook at home and enjoyed surprising family and friends with his culinary skills. His sense of humor was evident at an early age and he delighted everyone with his wit and spontaneous humor to the very end. And whether he was the visitor or the host, he always brought conversation, questions, stories and jokes to the table. He had strong opinions on the politics and current events of the day. There were many lively discussions and much laughter when Howard was present. His life will be celebrated this spring in Indiana with his wife’s family who loved him dearly. A later celebration will follow this summer with his Gila Valley community. If you asked Howard what his one best piece of advice would be to anyone around him, he would have said, “Help Someone.”