Gary Dean Smith

SMITH, RILEY, LEE, REIFERT, GILLIG-DEGRAVE, NOETZEL, LEMASTER, RIDGWAY, MASON, SOUTHWORTH

Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 3/6/2026 at 07:13:13

Gary Dean Smith, 75, died in the early hours of Sunday February 8th at his home in Iowa City after a short battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Gary was born July 20th,1950 in Muscatine, Iowa to Lester and Eva (Riley) Smith. He attended public school in Muscatine and Davenport. He attended the University of Iowa where Gary obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and two Master’s degrees in Counselor Education as well as Journalism and Mass Communication. He was also a Fellow in Population Studies at Southern Methodist University.

Following an eight-year courtship, Gary married Sarah Crane Swisher on July 3rd, 1987. They had two children, daughter Sarah Dana “Sally” Lee (Chad) and son Riley Jeanne Smith. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, his son and daughter and four grandchildren, Jozlyn Alexandra Lee (Jacob), Gracie Sue Lee, Gabriella Crane Lee and David Dean Lee. He is additionally survived by his sister Evelyn Reifert (Bill) of Muscatine and his brother Manfred Gillig-DeGrave (Francoise) of Neuvilly, France. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, Jody Noetzel (Steve), William Reifert, Kristina LeMaster (Don), and Daniel Reifert (Yvonne), eight great nieces and nephews and ten great-great nieces and nephews. Gary is also survived by his dog, Milo.

Gary had several jobs including Goodwill Industries, Elder Services, and SEIU. He served as a research assistant at the University of Iowa and for fourteen years he cared for his severely disabled friend, Charles Vinton, twice a day, every day, even with a broken leg.

Active in the community Gary served on several boards and commissions. He was a member of the Johnson County Democrats where he served as the platform chair for eight years. He was awarded the Johnson County Democrats’ Pioneer award in 2018. Gary also served for eighteen years as the treasurer of the Rod Sullivan for Supervisor campaign.

He had a passion for justice and peace. Gary also loved gardening and was extremely proud of the flowers that bloomed on his patio.

Gary and Sarah have a beautiful summer place in Park Rapids, Minnesota where Gary loved to canoe, kayak, have fires on the beach and enjoy time with his children and grandchildren. He has several close friends on Fish Hook Lake.

Gary’s mother, Eva Riley was a war bride from Lancashire, England. Gary’s Uncle Tony Riley was like his father. Uncle Tony and his wife Aunt Iris hosted Gary many times at their home in Radcliffe. Gary was also very close with his first cousins, Sheila Ridgway (Tony), Sharon Mason (Gary), Tony Riley (Debbie), Susan Mason (Kevin), and Julie Southworth (John). Gary also loved his cousin’s many children and grandchildren.

Preceding Gary in death were his mother, his mother-in-law (Nancy Swisher), his beloved uncle, his brother-in-law, and his darling basset hound Daisy May.

Services for Gary will be held at Lensing’s Funeral Home in Iowa City on Sunday, February 15th. An hour of visitation will begin at 10 AM, with services at 11, and a luncheon at the Kirkwood Room to follow. There will be a private burial at Oakland Cemetery on Monday the 16th. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the American Civil Liberties Union in Gary’s honor.

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
 

Johnson Obituaries maintained by Cindy Booth Maher.
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