To the family, I first met Mr. Smick in Algebra I.  His humor and explanations made the class fun and understandable.  Being a math teacher, I have thought of him often.  He was also my baseball coach.  I believe, using his own money, he installed hitting nets in the gym.  That willingness to go the extra mile was evident.  He never loss his cool.  He was a good man.  

In 1978 Coach Smick...and a Foul Ball...Changed My Life 

I had loved playing baseball with my Sunnydale buddies while I was growing up, but had never been very good at it.   I tried to play at the high school level any way.   I was a bench warmer on Coach Smick's 1978 Mayo High School B Team.   Early in the season, I got a chance to get off the bench during mop up duty and pinch hit against Dan Sedor...an All Conference pitcher for John Marshall.  I was able to turn on a fastball and hit a screaming line drive down the third base line.  Coach Smick was coaching third and tried to dive away from ball.  But the ball had a wicked hook on it and followed him like a heat seeking missile.  

The projectile exploded into the middle of his chest and he dropped like he had been shot.   He was down without any sign of movement for several minutes.  And as I knew that a hard blow to just the right place on the chest can stop the heart from beating, I was terrified that I that I had killed my coach!  Thank God, after several minutes he was able to get up (very unsteadily) and was helped to the dugout.  

The next day I walked into Chem class and Coach Smick had the entire class gathered around him.  He had his shirt unbuttoned unveiling what looked like a huge target of concentric circles in the middle of his chest.  The outside ring was pink followed by red and purple inner rings.  And in the center...you could clearly see the distinct image of a black baseball (including the stitches) stamped deep into his chest.  He was reveling in telling the class how I "tried to kill him" on the baseball field the day before.

A couple of days latter, I showed up for our next game preparing to take my usual seat on the pine.  I was startled when Coach Smick yelled at me to "get my ass out to first base". He had decided to start me at first and had penciled me in as the cleanup hitter in the batting order (the spot traditionally reserved for the most feared hitter in the lineup).   After the inning when I got back to the bench and asked Coach Smick what was going on, he exclaimed that "Anyone who can hit the ball that damn hard is gonna be my cleanup hitter!"  

I was raised by hard working blue collar parents that had to scrimp and save to make ends meet every month.  Their dream was to teach my brother and I the value of education and hard work hoping that their sons might achieve a more secure middle class existence some day.  We weren't afforded the luxury of dreaming big (certainly not over frivolous things like a game).   

A year after Coach Smick put his faith in me, I was an All Conference player batting cleanup in the state tournament.  I was blessed to play with some incredibly talented teammates and go on to be a key contributor to three state tournament teams (including two who played in the American Legion State Championship game).  Coach Smick and baseball gave me the opportunity to become confident in my abilities and to learn how to perform in the spot light under pressure.  

After a serious injury to my arm during my senior year, I lost the opportunity to play college ball at the University of Minnesota.  But I did work hard to graduate with a degree in Engineering and have been blessed to live a quality of life that has far exceeded my wildest dreams as a child.   None of that would have happened if Coach Smick hadn't believed in me and taught me that I could be "special" on the baseball field...and more importantly...in life.  Outside of my parents, Coach Smick made a greater impact on my life as a youth than any other adult.  I will always be incredibly grateful that Coach Smick was able to see in me what I couldn't see in myself and taught me to believe in the gifts God game me.  He was a very good teach, a great coach...and an even better man.  Coach you will be missed, but never forgotten.

Phyllis,

I didn't see the news of Don's passing until today.  I am so sorry for your loss.  My deepest condolences to you and the rest of your family in tis time of deep sadness.

Don had a wonderful personality which made learning math and chemistry with him fun. He knew that inserting humor and caring into teaching helps everyone learn. My husband also knew him at IBM. Our sincere condolences to the family.

 My two favorite teachers at CVHS were math teachers, Mr Smick was one of them. Loved his methods, knowledge, sense of humor, and "try to stump me on baseball questions". I know he loved the Boston Red Sox. I also remember one of our quizzes was to derive the quadratic formula. High expectations.... much appreciated! Neighbors for a few years when you lived in Fillmore Street. I remember the daughters, especially the twins, since I was also a twin. Thank you, Mr Smick, for inspiring me to become a math teacher! All the best to your family.

James Halvorson

I'm so sorry to hear of Don's passing.  Don made working at IBM fun

To the family of Mr. Smick,

I was one of the lucky ones to have him as a math teacher.  He could be strict at times, and he could be very funny at times.  He was a fun teacher but was also very serious about teaching his students and wanting them to learn.  He was BRILLIANT with math. :)   I am a 1967 graduate of Chosen Valley High School, and sometime between 1974 and 1977, I was fortunate enough to run into him at a store in Winona, MN and he remembered me but could not think of my name.  He stepped outside for about 1 minute and then came back in and told me my name.  I was very impressed that he was able to recall my name after all those years.  He was a wonderful person and teacher. R.I.P. Mr. Smick.  Heaven's math department is gaining a great guy.

Lois (Lynch) Berg

Dear Family

I am so sorry to hear about your loss.  May God hold all of you in the palm of his hand during this difficult time.

On behalf of the Activities Department for Rochester Public Schools enjoy the flower, certificate and Mayo Chenille to honor his service to other! 

Mark Kuisle, Activities Director Rochester Century

Dear Smick Family -

I was saddened to hear the news of the passing of Mr. Smick.  I was so very fortunate to have him as my Chemistry teacher at Mayo High School.  He was a great teacher and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing and teaching the students.  My deepest sympathy to the family.

Leslie

So sorry to hear of Mr. Smick’s passing.....my condolences to all who knew him. He was a great guy and a fine teacher, always friendly and patient. I was hopeless at Mathematics and Chemistry, but still enjoyed his classes. Please know that many of us have fond memories of “Mr. Smick”.

Steve Ellis.   Chatfield class of 1967. 

I am sorry to hear of Don Smick’s passing. My condolences to his family. Mr Smick was my math and chemistry teacher.  He was exceptional.  His ability to make learning fun and bring a sense of humor to the classroom were rare indeed.  Students loved him and he clearly cared for every student in the room — without exception.  He was a gift to every student that entered his classroom.

My condolences to the entire Smick Family. 
In my high school years, I only called Donald Smick “Mr. Smick”. He was my Algebra teacher at Chosen Valley High School in Chatfield, MN. I believe this was in 1963. 
I saw him at several class reunions, the last one was our 50th in 2016 at the Golf Course Club House in Chatfield. He was always a good guy to be around and visit with. He and my older brother Jerry worked at IBM. He many times thought Jerry was me. Ha! I called him once while visiting Jerry in Chatfield and told him I was going to a Threshers event in St Charles on my nephew’s farm to watch steam engines at work, a sawmill, look at old tractors, etc. He and his wife drove from Rochester to meet me and my wife. We had a great time. 
Mr. Smick was a “Good Guy” and I will miss him!!

Dale Richter

Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)

Bellevue NE

Mr. Smick was one of my favorite teachers at Chosen Valley High School.  I remember him as a teacher who was interesting and motivated me.  He could also be funny at times.  My condolences to Mr. Smick's family.

I was a student at Chosen Valley High School (Chatfield) and had Mr. Smick as both a math a chemistry teacher. He was definitely one of my favorites. He had a genuine gift for teaching, able to impart knowledge and demonstrate a caring personality to students.  He was a patient instructor, able to relate well with high schoolers. A sense of humor and a willingness to stray from the assigned topic from time to time endeared him to us all.  My sympathy to Phyllis and the four children.   jack halvorson

Great memories of Mr Smick from high school and Legion baseball. RIP Coach. 

Mr Smick was a teacher of Mine at Chosen Valley High in Chatfield. He will always be remembered as a kind caring man and great teacher ; my condolences to the family.  

Dear Smick family,

So sorry for the loss of your beloved husband and father.  Mr. Smick was my B - squad baseball coach and Chemistry teacher at Mayo High.  I also ran into him when I had a college summer job at IBM Rochester.  Mr. Smick was a great man, coach and teacher. 
I remember him fondly.

When I screwed up playing baseball he always told me that he couldn’t trade me for two broken bats and a couple of old baseballs. ?

My sincere condolences to the Smick family.  I have very fond memories of of Mr. Smick as he was one of my baseball coaches at Mayo High school and on American Legion teams in the mid 70’s.  He was a great guy and had a great sense of humor and we all learned a lot about baseball and life from him.  

Smick Family, you have my deepest sympathies on the passing of "Uncle" Don. I played for Uncle Don on both "B" Squad Baseball at Mayo High School and in the Summer on his American Legion team. I remember the first time I heard someone call Coach Smick "Uncle" Don. It was on our first bus ride to an away game of the 1975 season. One of the Varsity players (Eric Strobel) called Coach Smick "Uncle" Don. Someone asked him why he called him Uncle Don ? Eric's reply was because he is like your favorite Uncle. From then on we all called him Uncle Don. Uncle Don had a love for the game and a love for his players. He was a joy to play for and be around. I often reminisce about my Junior year of American Legion and tell people that was my favorite year to play baseball. Uncle Don was a big part of that sentiment. If you did something wrong he had a way of playfully criticizing you for the mistake. You did not want to make that mistake again so as to let Uncle Don down. On the other hand if you did something well he had a way of making you feel you were the best player on the planet. He showed no favorites and threated all players the same. He was truly a great coach. I can still see his smile and hear his unique voice to this day and will forever miss both. I know he right now is pain free and is playing his favorite game, baseball!

Uncle Don, well done ! Until we meet again RIP.

Our Dear Aunt Phyllis and Annette, Maureen, Mary Kay and Mary Lee:  We are very sorry for the pain you all are experiencing right now. Uncle Donald is an angel now (well deserved to earn his wings) and we take comfort that he is with Grandma, Grandpa and my dad as the Smick Family from Independence is together once again in heaven. We are praying and thinking about all of you. Deepest condolences and sympathies do not even begin to explain our heartfelt love. Uncle Donald loved baseball and I remember him always watching a game on TV when we visited Independence and Rochester. One thing I could never figure out though is why he liked the Rams and the Boston Red Sox but not any MN teams :0). Uncle Donald had a way of making me smile no matter what mood I was in. We miss you Uncle Donald and love you.  xoxoxoxo   ---Natalie and  Aussie Mark.