e Seen here at the I.W.A.’s national convention in September, 2000, Brother Smith was always central in the

trade union’s activities.

Terry Smith leaves life of dedication

Union members throughout the
I.W.A. were shocked and saddened
when they heard about the sudden
passing of Brother Terry Smith,
national secretary-treasurer of the
organization. On September 8, 2001
Brother Smith passed away

peacefully in his sleep.

For the I.W.A. the loss of Terry
was felt across the union.

“We lost one of our finest members
and one of our finest trade unionists,”
said national I.W.A. president Dave
Haggard. “Terry went so many
places and touched so many people
that his family, friends and the
I.W.A. all received an outpouring of
condolences from right across the
country and internationally.”

“Terry was central to our
organization. He worked at the
national level since 1988 and played
a key role on the inside of the I.W.A.
administration and provided

services for countless I.W.A.
members,” said Haggard. “We miss
him greatly and our hearts are
saddened. We remember the spirit,
good will and sincere compassion
that Terry had for working people.”

Born in Vancouver on May 16,
1948, Terry spent most of his youth
in New Westminster and maintained
lifelong friendships from his
formative years. He went to bilingual
Feller College.

At the age of 18 he got a job at
the Tahsis Company sawmill in
Tahsis on_ the west coast of
Vancouver Island where he was a
member of Local 1-85 for four
months. Then, in 1964 he got a job
at the Canadian Forest Products
Pacific Veneer Division plywood
plant in New Westminster where he
would spend the rest of his rank
and file years.

He first started filling in on

weekends and then went full time
in 1967, working primarily asa
banding operator. Terry served on
both plant and safety committees.

There he met the late I.W.A.
national president Gerry Stoney,
the then plant chairman, who
became president of Local 1-357 in
1971. Terry served as the first vice
president of the local union from
1973-1982 and then became the
president in 1982 when Brother
Stoney went on to become secretary-
treasurer of Region One of the
International Woodworkers of
America.

Terry then became secretary
treasurer of the the national union,
I.W.A. Canada, in 1988 and served
the organization loyally in that
position until his untimely passing.

He was respected by all those who
knew him. Terry was a dedicated
trade unionist, social democrat

° Dave Haggard

Speakers pay tribute to Bro. Smith ,

On September 13, over 500 people
athered in Local 1-3567’s union
Pal in Langley to commemorate
and celebrate the life of the late
Brother Terry Smith.

Present were members of Terry’s
immediate family. The hall was also
filled with former workmates,
friends, I.W.A. union officials and
staff at both the national and local
union levels, reps from the B.C.
Federation of Labour, several of its
affiliates, and the Canadian Labour

¢ Bob Parkinson

e Sonny Ghag

Congress, NDP officials and
members, representatives from the
United Way of the Lower Mainland
and representatives from forest
companies, Forest Industrial
Relations, and others.

The broad base of people present
to support Terry’s family and
commemorate his life was indicative
of the many people and organ-
izations that he dealt with during
his 55 years.

Local 1-3567 president Sonny

ened, the leader of Terry’s home
local, conducted the memorial
service. He mentioned that letters
of condolence arrived from the
Labour College of Canada, Federal
NDP leader Alexa McDonough, the
International Association of
Machinist’s Grand Lodge
Representative Randy Rice, the
National Confederation of Forest
Workers of Chile, NDP MLA Joy
jae and the national leaders of

and member of the New Democratic

Party.
eig77 he graduated from the
Labour College of Canada in Ottawa,
and maintained strong connections
a the college throughout his working
fe.

He was also active in the
community as a founding director of
Pacifica (a drug and alcohol
treatment centre) and a member of

“We remember the spirit,
good will and
sincere compassion
that Terry had for
working people..”

- Dave Haggard,
LW.A. National President

the Lower Mainland Assessment
and Referral Society. He also served
on New Westminster’s Athletic
Commission and the municipality’s
Advisory Planning Commission.

Brother Smith was honoured by
the United Way of the Lower
Mainland in 1991 when he received
the Joe Morris Labour Community
Service Award in recognition of his
outstanding efforts to improve
community services. From 1986 to
1990 he chaired the organization’s
Campaign Labour Committee where
he worked with other trade unionists
to grow support for the United Way
among union members.

Terry was also deeply involved as
a member and officer of the TWA
and Community Savings Credit
Union, the predecessor of today’s
Community Saving Credit Union.
For seven of 33 years he was the
vice president of the Board of
Directors and served as the
President/Chairperson for 20 of
those years.

He is survived by wife Jan and
four children; Joanne Smith and
husband Glenn, Mike Smith and
wife Suzanne, Ramona Grace and
husband David, and Renata
Kamieniecki and husband Matthew.

Terry is also survived by his
brother Brian Smith and wife Bev,
niece Leslie Ann and three
grandchildren Keenan, Rylan and
Hayden. He is predeceased by
mother Myrtle MacFarlane and
father Harrison Smith. Ml

Letter of condolences also arrived
from national I.W.A. vice presidents
Norm Rivard and Wilf McIntyre
and Local 2995 president Damien
Roy, who were unable to connect on
flights due to the tragic hija:
anal terrorist attacks in New Yor!
Washington, and Pennsylvania on
September li. :

e (Terry) is going to be missed
by the national and local union and

continued on page eleven

10/LUMBERWORKER/NOVEMBER, 2001

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