Honouring the Life of Jeffrey Raymond Smith

On Monday,13th October, my dad Jeff Smith - passed away-he was my best mate and a man who spent more than 40 years giving voice to others as a journalist. He had deep ties to Canterbury and Otago and lived with honesty, compassion, and integrity.

He lived his last 8 years in Geraldine community - he loved it here and I see why the local community is like no other.

Since July, it’s been a long and emotional road in and out of hospitals. I was by his side every step of the way, holding his hand in the final days and nights when he could no longer speak. What happened in those last hours was beyond anything I could have imagined. In his final half hour, while I stepped away briefly, the oxygen was turned off and I returned only to be told he had passed. I was robbed of the chance to say goodbye.

This has made an already devastating loss even harder. All I want now is to give my dad the farewell he truly deserves and have his ashes laid to rest alongside my sister Lisa, his beloved daughter, who we lost to suicide almost two years ago.

WINZ has been difficult thus far with the small amount they may contribute along with no family support to share the burden, the financial strain is overwhelming.

Any donation, no matter how small, will go directly toward covering cremation and funeral costs so I can bring my dad home and lay him to rest with dignity. Even just sharing this would mean the world.

I loved my dad more than words can say, and I’ll carry him with me always.

❤️ Aaron Smith