Herman Claude Smith Jr., 95

Herman Claude Smith Jr., 95, died at the Hospice House of North Idaho on May 8, 2016. Herman was born in Waco, Texas, on Jan. 14, 1921, to Herman Claude and Belle Curtis Smith.

He grew up in Los Angeles, Calif., and graduated from Hollywood High School. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and went on to become a highly regarded practicing Certified Public Accountant in downtown Los Angeles. In 1977, he became the Executive Vice President of the Oak Tree Racing Association at Santa Anita Race Track in Arcadia, Calif.

In 1941, Herman married Dorothy Bennion of Magna, Utah, and they raised three boys, Rodney, Gregory and Forrest in La Crescenta, Calif., where he was an active member of the LDS Church. The marriage lasted 44 years until Dorothy’s death in 1985. In 1986, Herman found love again and married Teri Becker of Arcadia, and helped raise her daughter, Carla and Carla’s daughter, Faith. Herman and Teri lived in the Hayden, Idaho, and Dalton Gardens area for the last 20 years of their 30-year marriage.

Herman retired from full-time work in 1989 but remained active in the horse racing industry as Chairman of the Board of the Winner’s Foundation, an organization assisting people in the horse racing industry with substance abuse issues. Herman was well-known as an extremely conscientious and highly ethical individual. His outgoing and charming personality won him dozens upon dozens of admiring friends, most of whom predeceased him. He was also an avid gun enthusiast and expert marksman and skeet shooter.

Herman was preceded in death by his first wife, Dorothy; his son, Gregory and his younger sister, Mary Ed Killitz. He is survived by his wife, Teri; sons Rodney and Forrest; stepdaughter Carla; 13 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, 2016, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 407 E. Honeysuckle Ave., Hayden. Herman will be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park — Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles. Yates Funeral Home has been entrusted with the care of final arrangements. Please visit Herman’s online memorial and sign his guest book at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.