Phillip Smith

Phillip Larry Smith was 72 years young. His heart stopped beating 24 hours following heart surgery Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. He was born March 11, 1942, at Lapwai, to William Smith Jr. and Iva (Lott) Smith. He was a member of the Nez Perce Tribe.

He attended various schools around the Nez Perce Reservation. He didn't complete high school, but did graduate from mechanic school at Lower Yakima Valley College in the 1980s. He worked for the Yakima Tribal Garage for a period of time before moving to Plummer, Idaho, where he joined a firefighting crew. He later moved back to Sunnyside, Wash., where he worked for Del Monte at Toppenish, Wash., Seneca in Prosser, Wash., Twin City Foods in Prosser and Boatright Construction in Sunnyside, before retiring after a severe heart attack.

He married Sylvia Davis in the early 1960s, of which a daughter was born. They later separated and he met and started a life with Mary Jacobus, who survives him at their home in Sunnyside.

Phillip was an avid fan of Elvis Presley. As he used to say, it wasn't Christmas if he didn't receive something Elvis. He had quite a sense of humor and would entertain everyone with tales of adventures real and invented. He enjoyed camping and spending time in the mountains, especially hunting and picking huckleberries. He and his wife of 52 years would take their motor home and camp out a week or two at a time. He enjoyed watching football and visiting with friends and relatives.

He worked on cars for others before getting sick. He spent some time riding motorcycles, even getting his wife, Mary, daughter Bobbi Jo and son Jim involved.

He was preceded in death by his father, William Smith Jr.; his mother, Iva Lott Smith; grandparents William and Jane Smith; sisters Josephine Whistocken and Laura Smith Orosco.

He is survived by his wife, Mary, at the family home; daughter Bobbi Jo Smith of Spokane; stepdaughter Mary Schwab of Lewiston; foster daughter Teresa Smith of Los Angeles; stepson Jim Wilcox of Outlook, Wash.; foster son Frank Smith of Toppenish, Wash.; granddaughters Ezralee Kelly, Phalisitie Bell, Christina Bruneman, Bridgett Smith, all of Spokane, and Siwan Schwab of Lewiston; grandsons Demetrius Bell of Phoenix, Joseph Smith and John Dorsey of Spokane, and Larry Schwab of Lewiston; 11 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Malcom's Brower-Wann Funeral Home Chapel at Lewiston, with burial following at the Lapwai Tribal Cemetery. A dinner will follow at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church dining hall in Lapwai.