Loren E. Smith (71) joined his family in heaven on October 20, 2020 after a 15-year battle with cancer.  He was born in the old Anacortes Hospital (now the Library—we like to say in the science fiction section!) to Ellsworth and Helen Smith.  A fourth generation Anacortes resident, he grew up on the family acreage as a healthy farm kid.

At age 4 ½, he took apart an uncle's watch, much to the chagrin of the owner, who waited anxiously as he reassembled it into perfect working order.  A few years later, he was given a broken lawn mower, which he repaired and used it to make a go-cart with a wooden frame.  The front lawn soon became a racetrack.  It provided untold hours of entertainment for the neighborhood kids, who tried to make bigger and fancier go-carts, but none could outrace Loren's.

Loren continued through the Anacortes school system, playing baseball but finally settling on wrestling as his main sport.  He earned an AHS letter in wrestling.  He played clarinet for the band.  He also played the accordion and later attempted bagpipes (with less success—hard to find a noise-tolerant place to practice while on ships).  After Chief Engineer Stanley Long survived the explosion of the S.S. Bunker Hill in Rosario Straits, he married into the family (Shirley Hansen Bargewell) and became a career role model for Loren.

During his senior year, Loren received a double appointment (by both Washington U.S. Senators) to the U.S. Maritime Academy for marine engineering.  Six days before departing for school, Loren was notified that his 20/60 eyesight did not meet their strict 20/40 requirements (without glasses), and he had to regroup.  He was quickly accepted and set off for the California Maritime Academy.

In the winter, the Cal Maritime Academy took students on international tours to give them experience in running a ship.  Loren toured the Panama Canal, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

A lifelong deer hunter, he talked effusively to family about the abundance of deer for hunting in New Zealand--but neglected to mention that he had seen Queen Elizabeth while there.

At the Academy, Loren often got top grades in his engineering classes.  He claimed he never read the textbooks, just looked at the technical diagrams the night before the tests.  He nearly didn't graduate because he had to pass an English class, and the professor dropped a grade for every mistake on a paper.  Loren was great with machines, but not with spelling and grammar.  He later appreciated Spell-Check when it became available.

In 1970 he joined the Naval Reserve after graduation as a LTJG and in readiness for possible deployment to engage in the Vietnam War.  Fortunately, that did not happen and he was honorably discharged in 1974.  Loren was hired by The Standard Oil Company as an engineer on an oil tanker in their Pacific-Alaska route.  He later went on more global routes.  Tired of long-distance travel, he returned to Anacortes and worked as a machinist at Cap Sante Marina and for the Foss Maritime Company.

While back at home in 1975, Loren rededicated his life to Christ.  This led him to sign on as Engineer for the M/V Anastasis (a former cruise ship M/V Victoria converted to a floating hospital) , a flagship of Mercy Ships fleet  based in Greece and sponsored by Youth with a Mission (YWAM )

Loren met Diana in 1980  in Eleusis, Greece. They were part of the refurbishment crew onboard the ship M/V Anastasis.  They each served on the ship for a year.  He served as a Marine Engineer in the Engine Room.  They met in the Dining Room of the Ship where Loren was intentionally looking for her.  He came over to the table where she was seated and asked her if she was Diana Stephens?  A surprised Diana affirmed she was and she asked him who he was?  Loren explained he had heard of Diana from a roommate of his while he was enrolled with YWAM Discipleship Training in Hawaii and the roommate was the son of Diana's friend with whom she had gone to Bible School with in California.   That was how their friendship began with that introduction by Loren.  It also turned out that they both lived in the State of Washington.  Diana left the service of M/V Anastasis before Loren did with the invitation for Loren to look her up when he returned to Washington.  However, when Loren returned home, he took on another assignment to Egypt, this time to enhance his financial situation.  When he returned again to his hometown, Anacortes, he would commute daily between Anacortes and Tacoma to visit Diana.  After 6 months of courting, they got engaged and married in Spanaway, Washington on March 6, 1981.  The newlyweds lived in a mobile home in Loren's parents' backyard for a year.  They then bought a home across  the street from them.

Loren acquired employment with the Washington State Ferries and was their Chief Engineer for 33 years.  Loren and Diana had two children, both girls: Dana and June.  When Dana was three, the couple started having youth ministry workers from Youth Dynamics-Reachout Expeditions live with them during the summer months.   They enjoyed having just young men to start with, so their daughters would experience what it was like to have brothers.  Then Loren and Diana started housing girls at their home.  This trend led to the family hosting foreign Exchange Students from two weeks to a year and they would host a minimum of one to four students at a time.  Over the years, the Smith Family housed 67 students.  A friend from the M/V Anastasis told them before they had any kids that she saw their ministry as a "Mom and Dad Ministry".  It was very prophetic.

Loren was also a  professional beekeeper, a skill he gleaned from his grandfather who kept beehives in the old Smith family orchard.  Once Loren resettled in Anacortes, the hives multiplied and were shared throughout the area.  Some were taken seasonally as far afield as Eastern Washington.  The Smiths always had an abundance of top-quality honey.  His wife helped foster and train 28 service dog candidates for the disable.  By default, Loren was involved with that.  The career change dog they kept, Rusty, helped Loren by picking up things he would drop and go get Diana when Loren rang his bell for help.  Loren got a kick out of that.

Loren was an avid and speedy reader, reading thousands of books.  He especially liked science fiction and was quick to lend books and offer suggestions for reading.  Loren was a computer enthusiast.  He helped set up and update all of the family computers.  He had programs set up for his daughter Dana at 3 years old.  He helped guide many friends in their use and would fix their computers if they were malfunctioning. His other favorite pastime was working on cars and tractors. Loren was a mechanical genius and also a computer genius.  If he couldn't fix something, it couldn't be fixed. Period.

Loren was well loved by all who knew him.  He was very kind and had an extremely giving heart.  He loved his kids with all his heart.  Loren had many friends from all walks of life who thought very highly of him.  Of his wife, Diana, of 38 years, he always called her "My Diana" because he in awe of having her for his very own wife.

In 2006, Loren was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer which metastasized to liver cancer in 2019.  He entered Hospice in mid-February of 2020.  Amazingly he lived until October 20 ^th .  God answered many prayers for him offered by a multitude of friends.  He lived longer and also pain free as a result of those prayers.  What a blessing!  Thank you to all who prayed.  Loren looked forward to his homecoming with Jesus.  His family will always cherish his memory and miss him dearly.

Loren was preceded in death by his parents.  He is survived by his wife; his daughters: Dana & June (Cory Gardner);  three special grandchildren: Alister, Aleece and Aric; and his siblings: Linda, Lane and Lisa Smith

A Private service will be held at Grand View Cemetery for Loren and a celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Summit Assistance Dogs – a nonprofit organization Loren and Diana were involved in.  They provide highly skilled mobility dogs for people living in the Pacific Northwest.  As an alternative you could donate to the American Cancer Society.  Thank you for your consideration.

To view photos and to share memories of Loren, please sign the online guestbook at https://www.evanschapel.com