This fund is created in remembrance of my father, Daniel Smith, who committed suicide after a lifelong fight with a severe depressive disorder. He fought it for 63 years, and I know from growing up with him that many of those days were a struggle. I'm proud of him for fighting for so long, knowing the mental anguish he often was in. One of his recent bad days just won out.

With my father's passing, my mother now needs somewhere to live and a way to get back on her feet. 100% of donations to this fund will go to helping my mother. I know my father would want, more than anything, for her to be taken care of and to live a good life. Our priority right now is trying to get her into a small home or apartment - currently she is staying with me and my fiance in our little 1-bedroom apartment, and she really needs somewhere she can look at as her own, and live peacefully as she rebuilds from this tragedy.

As for me, I am grateful I was able to learn from my father as I grew up, listen to Blue Oyster Cult with him in the car and in the gym, and that he was able to see me graduate college. On his good days, his eyes looked like they glittered and were the brightest blue, and I won't forget that. I will finish my master's degree for him, as he was my biggest proponent for more education and believed writing and English were my calling.

We hope you're at peace, papa, and that you're doing what you always wanted to do, gardening on a little farm with birds and quiet around you. We love you.