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So, who was Hans Smith?

Hundreds turn out for Ely memorial service

Keith Vandervort
Posted 10/18/19

ELY – Hans Smith was just 55 years old when he died last month while working on a tree that had fallen on a house during a storm near Eagles Nest Lake. He may not have realized it, but he left his …

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So, who was Hans Smith?

Hundreds turn out for Ely memorial service

Posted

ELY – Hans Smith was just 55 years old when he died last month while working on a tree that had fallen on a house during a storm near Eagles Nest Lake. He may not have realized it, but he left his mark on every single person he met.

News of his death on the evening of Sept. 17 spread like wildfire in this community. Shock and sorrow followed. Happy memories weren’t too far behind. Almost four weeks later, hundreds of those who were marked by Hans joined his family at Hidden Valley Ski Chalet for a memorial service on a chilly but sunny Saturday afternoon.

The gathering was very informal. “That’s the way Hans would have wanted it,” said flyers for the event that were posted around town. Vehicles with license plates from all over the country lined the narrow gravel road approaching the ski area buildings. The smell of a campfire, and a somber mood, filled the air. Small groups huddled together outside and spoke in hushed voices. Inside the doorway of the chalet, visitors were greeted with hot beverages and a bevy of bars and treats. They were asked to fill out a nametag.

Lots of hugs and tears were exchanged as friends of Hans mingled with each other and viewed displays of photographs revealing many old memories. Supporters made their way to the dwindling supply of seats. There were clearly way more people than chairs to sit on. Up at the front of the hall a video screen showed more memories and video clips. Old smoke jumper parachutes and other equipment were on display.

Precisely at 2 p.m., a loud whistle pierced the air, signifying the start of the service. Barb Cary Hall played a song on her guitar. People quickly grabbed an open seat and sat quietly to listen. The rest of the room was standing room only.

“What a tribute,” said Paul Smith, Hans’s father who lives in Ely. “Some of you have come a long way. We really appreciate it.”

Hans is also survived by his wife, Traci, and their son, Rowan; stepchildren, Bryce of Hong Kong, Alexis of Australia, and Jacob of Kona, Hawaii; brother, Erik of Ely and Zhuhai, China. Hans was preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Donnick, in 2014.

“A little saying, we’ve had on our stairway for years, refers to Hans, as well as his brother Erik: ‘The best gifts that we could give to them were our roots and wings.’” Paul added, “You never will be completely at home again because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of knowing and loving people in more than one place.”

According to his obituary, Hans and his brother Erik grew up in Ely and spent their youth canoeing, cross-country skiing the lakes, and backpacking various mountains out West. Starting at 17, Hans worked for several years as a cowboy on ranches in Montana and Nebraska. He worked at various fire jobs on the Superior National Forest before becoming a smokejumper for ten years in Montana at Missoula and West Yellowstone. Then he transferred to Alaska for several years of fire duties at Tok and McGrath. He finally returned to Ely to open his own tree-trimming and removal business, while continuing to work on national fire overhead teams in the Western states.

Hans lived a life of adventure, and spent many winters traveling with friends and family to places like Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Bali, Korea, China, Laos, Thailand, India and Hawaii. At various times in his life he was an avid canoeist, backpacker, back-country skier, rock climber, moose hunter, and both outrigger canoeist and surfer in Hawaii.

Paul introduced several people who shared stories about Hans. Many smokejumpers and firefighters talked of the professionalism, courageousness and leadership Hans brought to every incident he was involved in.

Aaron Chick, of Ely, named Hans as his best friend. “I have lots of stories, from moose hunting to a bar fight in Hudson Bay,” Chick said. “Hans was probably the best and the worst canoe paddler I’ve ever met. He would stand up in the boat at the top of a set (of river rapids) to get a better look. You just don’t do that.”

Sarah Levar, of Ely, sobbed her way through a special memory of Hans. She heard the news of Hans’s passing as she and her husband were on the way to their oldest daughter’s wedding. “Hearing that news was instantly sharp and deep,” she said. “In 1986, in the former Cranberry’s Bar, Hans struck up a conversation with an old friend from school and introduced me to a devastatingly handsome man.”

Sarah didn’t think much of it at the time, but a few weeks later, she saw Hans’s friend again and he asked her on a date. “I accepted,” Sarah said, “but there was a significant problem. I had no idea what his name was. I desperately tried to reach Hans, but he didn’t get back to me in time, so I went on a date with a man whose name I did not know.”

She said that Hans finally reached her and was concerned for her. “That’s just the kind of guy Hans was,” Sarah said. “I got through the date, learned the guy’s name (Andy Levar) and after 32 years we are still together.”

She added, “Hans always had an admiration for our path together, and we admired his life path. If I saw Hans today, I could hear him say, ‘Pretty nice day, eh?’ It would be nicer if you here, Hans, but it is a pretty nice day.”

Dave Anderson grew up with Hans and they were part of the class of 1982 at Ely High School. “From Kindergarten in 1969 to graduation, I was Paul McCartney to his John Lennon,” he said.

Anderson, now a weatherman for a Duluth TV station, told of Han’s mischievous streak. “He coerced me into doing things that I am still ashamed of today,” he said. “He had a magnetic personality in school. I can still see him in Kindergarten watching in amazement at the other kids finger-painting. He was drawn to the arts.”

He also had a tendency to get into trouble, recalled Anderson. “In sixth grade, he was caught chewing gum,” he said. “The teacher asked Hans what he had in his mouth. ‘Teeth?’ was his answer.”

He formed a street gang in town. “About the only thing we did was start a garbage can fire,” he said. “He gave everyone a nickname. We called Hans ‘Skippy’ for his tendency to regularly skip school.”

A fellow smokejumper, Steve Reed, one leg of a trio of friends with Timo Rova and Hans, concluded, “He was larger than life. He lived every day to the max.”

Hans Smith, Ely