Charles Francis Smith

Chuck grew up in Whiting, Indiana. Following the death of his mother, his father was remarried to Bernice W. Smith, who raised Chuck and his sister, Leigh. He excelled in high school band and was an Eagle Scout.

He attended college at Purdue University, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, and was a proud member of the Purdue Marching Band (go Boilermakers!). Chuck graduated in 1958 with a B.S. in Chemistry and then went on to earn his M.S. in Chemistry at Purdue in 1960. Chuck married the love of his life, Ann Abbott Smith, in 1960, before moving to California. He then attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned his PhD in Nuclear Chemistry, in 1963. Chuck and Ann raised their family in Livermore, California. He worked his entire career at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a nuclear chemist, retiring in 1993. The couple moved to Brentwood in 1998.

Chuck was an avid musician, and played trombone for many decades with groups including the Livermore-Amador Symphony, Livermore Musical Theater, the Pleasanton Community Band, Pleasanton Playhouse, the Cool Tones, the Stony Ridge Ramblers, the Brentwood Community Band, the Delta Community Band, and the Delta Jazz Orchestra. He also enjoyed camping, bird watching, travelling, playing bridge, and watching sports. Chuck was known for his wonderfully dry sense of humor.

He is survived by his wife, Ann Smith, his sister, Leigh Clayton, his children, Karen Gardner (m. Steven Gardner), Sheryl McCormack, and Steven Smith (m. Christina Zanotto), grandchildren Nicole McCormack, Megan McCormack, Cami McCormack, Adriana Zanotto-Doyle, and Gabriela Smith.

A Celebration of Life will be held on April 27, 2024, at 11:00am at the Summerset I Clubhouse, 1675 Crispin Drive, in Brentwood California. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Brentwood Music Foundation, 3130 Balfour Road, Ste. D #197, Brentwood, California 94513.