Memories of Robert "Bob" Clarke Smith

5 Years. We miss you so much, Bob. I would love to hear your reflections on our current times. Love and continued blessings to all friends and family.

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Lorene Cary

Bob may have surprised us by going out to MN for the clergy protest and prayer. He loved the lakes and wrote... Read more Bob may have surprised us by going out to MN for the clergy protest and prayer. He loved the lakes and wrote an amazing long article... Read more Bob may have surprised us by going out to MN for the... Read more

cheryl jones

mrs. cary is someone who i have met recently virtually and through her spirit can feel the love that her husband expelled and shared towards the world all around him...

my warmest condolences to the family and friends and wishing the many memories and joys of GOD works in your lives, together

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Lorene Cary

Thanks so much, CJ. Thanks so much, CJ. Thanks so much, CJ.

Cheryl Nelson

A beautiful life well-lived! Rest easy, Rev. Smith.

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Lorene Cary

So many beautiful comments. Obviously I couldn't even see them 5 years ago. So many beautiful comments. Obviously I couldn't even see them 5 years ago. So many beautiful comments. Obviously I couldn't even... Read more

Vicki Ellis

Father Bob Smith was and will always be part of the story of St. Luke & The Epiphany's 2020, and so therefore a part of our history, period. From the time I saw Bob and Lorene and their daughter and a friend in the pew for "the interview," to the time the announcement was made, that he was to be our interim, to our meeting in the sacristy after a pre-recorded service, to hearing his willingness and desire to return to in person worship in late summer, to our brief social distanced gathering and chat as parishioners and neighbors in my garden, to his willingness to enter into Prayer Around the Cross, to the last Sunday and his last sermon; it all now seems, he with us, without a doubt, utterly meant to be. The suddenness of the loss of him and what I had hoped would include his being among us at St. Luke's later on down the road is still hard to take in. Prayers abide and continue for he and Lorene. Blessed assurance. Love.

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Lorene Cary

This summary history fills me up. Thanks so much, Vicki--and St. Luke's This summary history fills me up. Thanks so much, Vicki--and St. Luke's This summary history fills me up. Thanks so much, Vicki--and... Read more

David Devan

Bob's prophetic and loving voice will be missed in this world. Our deepest condolences. Love The Davids.

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Rebecca Sinkler

I first met Bob when he was at TV Guide and and I was at the Inquirer, next door, on Broad St and Callowhill. There was a greasy spoon bar at the corner of 15th and Calllowhill, called West's, where a bunch of us Inquirer folks, had lunch every day. Lots of cheesesteaks and a pitcher of beer, as I recall. Can't remember if Bob took part in the beer, but he was so funny and smart, we loved him, and missed him any day he wasn't there. He was a true spark, and that spark lives on in our lives, and surely in the lives of his family, dear Lorene and kids. I'm going to stop in at Westies, if it still exists, and lift a diet coke to him.

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SueDiane Hawkins

My condolences and prayers are with the family and everyone who was touched by Father Bob. May his memory lift our spirits.

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Lorene Cary

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Carol Anshaw

Bob was a friend of my youth. We met in our twenties in Chicago. We were poor but high on the promise of our futures. I remember a Christmas when Bob and my husband and I waited hours in a tiny apartment while a large turkey—a "gift" from my scrooge & marley employer, brought home on the bus—cooked in a tiny oven, simply because it was free. Life flung us apart geographically after that, but we always kept in touch. Through the subsequent decades Bob remained a purely delightful human, and so today you have lost a wise, erudite man who can also make jokes for four hours peppered with assurances that a giant turkey will be ready any minute now. My condolences on your loss.

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Rebecca Sinkler

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Lorene Cary

This is what Bob said when we'd go to Chicago: "Gotta see what Carol's up to now!" This is what Bob said when we'd go to Chicago: "Gotta see what Carol's up to now!" This is what Bob said when we'd go to Chicago: "Gotta... Read more

Art and Pat Bourgeau

Dear Lorene, Laura, Zoe and all of your dear ones,
Art and I watched the service on the link. I was weepy at several points, but Art was stoic to the end. Then he said, “A lovely service for a lovely man.” And we had a good cry together.
To think we almost didn’t know you. We only met you a couple of months before we moved away from Philly. It was a perfect evening, and we left feeling wistful that we had not met you sooner. But somehow that evening sparked a friendship which has endured for thirty years.
I have so many memories of our times together. A barbecue in the rain, a walk into the wind on a wintry beach, Bob’s ordination, the Philadelphia Award at Advocate, the rectory at Good Shepherd, summer sunsets and meals at our respective houses, great philosophical conversations over lunch that undermined our good intentions to take a long walk. Bob’s face is in so many of my memories, along with his unique intelligence, constant good humor and wit. Art and I both admired him so much when he decided to change paths and become a priest. Talk about follow your star! And we admired your whole family for rolling with the changes, and giving him all the support he needed. He was blessed.
It’s futile—nay, impossible—to sum up our long friendship. And that friendship will go on, forever altered by his loss, but still vibrant. And I know, I know. Bob WILL always be with us, in our hearts, and in our memories. But my, oh my, how we will miss his smile, coming into the house.
Sending love,
Art, Pat, and Sera

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Rebecca Sinkler

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Lorene Cary

And I cry reading this. Thank you. And I cry reading this. Thank you. And I cry reading this. Thank you.

John Walp

Dear Lorene, I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family. I'm blessed to have met Bob before your trip to England, and to have been however briefly in his kind presence. He instantly put me at ease in our very first conversation with his exceptionally warm and rich, deep voice and smile. He lit up when he talked about you and your children, and how much joy you all brought him. Thank you for introducing me to him. I am keeping you in my heart.

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Lorene Cary

Bob appreciated your generosity as much as I do. Bob appreciated your generosity as much as I do. Bob appreciated your generosity as much as I do.

Karline Venord

2006

Dear Lorene,
How blessed I was to have known your wonderful husband, Father Bob. I reminisce on how I used to sit with Nana on Saturday nights, Father Bob would encourage me on occasion, to stay for the Saturday night service. Knowing how intelligent he was I would ask him about his opinions when I had questions about the Roman Catholic and Episcopalian faith. He would, from time to time, include me in the family dinner by making sure to order some extraordinary, mind blowing, Chinese food. I have never had Chinese food like that before in my life! He was such a kind person; a devout believer. Although this is a grievous time for your family, rest assured Father Bob is currently with God and at peace .

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Lorene Cary

Chinese food sometimes works better than theology. That's what he taught me... Chinese food sometimes works better than theology. That's what he taught me... Chinese food sometimes works better than theology. ... Read more

Richard Johnson

2019, Near Hartington in the High Peak, Derbyshire

7th July 2019: Bob and Lorene take pleasure in England's pleasant mountains green

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Katharine Seed

Rebecca Sinkler

Vicki Ellis

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Lorene Cary

Oh, Richard, such pleasure. Oh, Richard, such pleasure. Oh, Richard, such pleasure.

Charles White

Dear Lorene, Geoff, Laura, Zoe and your partners and children. Ellen and I are so sorry about Bob's death. He was one of my oldest friends.

I was lucky enough to meet him right after I started my first teaching job, at Northwestern University in 1967. Though Bob and I were the same age, he was a more experienced teacher, and had already been at Northwestern for a year, so when he took me under his wing, I got a mentor and a good friend all in one.
The Northwestern English Department had a program for Ph.D. candidates from other institutions. About twenty of us would get hired to teach (mostly freshman comp.) for up to three years, during which, in theory, we’d also be able to finish writing our doctoral dissertations.
Bob stood out in that group of men (no woman among us, I’m sorry to say--fifty years ago seems centuries away now). He was a gifted teacher, with an exceptional and sensitive understanding of poetry and prose and real rapport with his students. Even then, he was a mature and accomplished writer, careful, subtle, sophisticated.
But most of all, he was a really good person. No one was less pretentious, no one was wittier, no one was as wise. No one was just such fun to be with, whether at regular big Friday evening dinners with our pals at a pizza place or one on one, where we’d talk about everything and nothing. I learned pretty fast from these talks that I just pretended I was mature and thoughtful—Bob was the real deal.
I treasured his friendship then, and I treasure it now. I regret that after he left Chicago, we didn’t see each other very often. I was glad to know of his many successes as an editor, though not at all surprised. I was delighted to be at his wedding to Lorene and to be with them from time to time over the years and see their love for each other and their joy in their children and grandchildren. And I was pleased to see him become a priest and have the chance to use his many talents to soothe, comfort and inspire his parishioners.
It was a great privilege to be his friend. In company with so many others, I’ll miss him more than words can say. With love, Charlie White

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Todd Waddington

A very short clip of Bob right after he started his first pulpit job. Celebration at the Smith-Cary home.

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Evelyn Partridge

The congregation of The Church of the Advocate send our prayers. We feel blessed to have known Father Smith, as he was such a blessing to us.

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Roland Woehr

Philadelphia Cricket Club, Chestnut Hill

Lorene, Roland and Bob from MCGS at Papas Family Wedding Reception.

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Katharine Seed

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Lynette Lorenze

Lorenze, Laura, and Zoe - I am very sorry for your loss. We love Father Bob. He was a beacon of light and a great blessing to our life. He was there during the most significant moments of my life, and I will always remember and honor his memory. We love you.

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Leila Lorenze

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Lynette Lorenze

2012, Church of the Good Shepherd

Father Bob's Last Day as Rector of Good Shepherd

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Leila Lorenze

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Bob Schwartz

2019

There was the joy of encountering Bob now and then when my early morning walk brought me to his neighborhood. He’d be strolling, deep in thought, with Gracie at the other end of the leash. My greeting would break his reverie. Then there’d be the twinkle in Bob’s eyes, the soft smile and quick one-liners. I’d walk on, now knowing that my day had a grand beginning.
I remember overlapping with Bob and Lorene in London two years ago. We arranged to meet at Waterloo Station for a trip to Jane Austen’s house an hour away. Bob found me in the station. He’d bought the tickets, and we caught a late morning train to Alton. We decided to walk the mile-and-a-half from the Alton station. Bob walked tall and strong under a hot July sun. We stopped at a Turkish restaurant for lunch. Lorene had apple tea; Bob and I had Diet Cokes. Then we followed GPS directions on Lorene’s smart phone. We reached a fork and paused. A local walker pointed us to a pedestrian underpass, from which we emerged into the gingerbread village of Chawton. Thatched roofs. Old brick. And the Jane Austen House, with its sign announcing WiFi and its password: Jane1817. We moved to the gift shop, where two locals sold us senior tickets and laughed at Bob’s jokes. We toured the house, with its replicas of letters, Austen’s writing table, her father’s desk, and much more. Bob was his quiet, erudite self. He was intent, focused, absorbing a world that was two centuries away. We wandered outside. Lorene explored a dye plant garden while Bob and I hovered near an enormous, ancient English yew. We caught a taxi back to the train that returned us to Waterloo.

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Charlotte Saul

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Rebecca Sinkler

A lovely description. You must have kept a journal, or you have amazing recall. I love the picture of Bob,... Read more A lovely description. You must have kept a journal, or you have amazing recall. I love the picture of Bob, quiet and erudite, ... Read more A lovely description. You must have kept a journal,... Read more

The Davenports

2011, Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, The Oak Road, Philadelphia, PA, USA

For Bob baptizing our Biffy.

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Charlotte Saul

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Rebecca Mills

I was 21 when I first met Bob at some type of editor's convention luncheon in Austin. (Bob was the Managing Editor of TV Guide in the 1980's.) At that time, I was dating his son, Geoff, who was a student at the University of Texas. Bob had graciously invited us to attend, as I imagine he was a bit curious about who had his son's attention. I was so nervous. I just wanted to make a good impression, and probably instead came across as somewhat clueless. But, my memory is this- from the moment I met Bob at that luncheon, it was just easy. He was soft spoken, kind, smart, with a dry wit; and there he was, putting up with a naive, young, Texan girl. God bless him.

Geoff and I married in 1990, gave "Grandpa Bob" and "Nana Rene" two grandchildren, and then parted ways in 2008. There were many adventures together in those years as a family. Samantha is now 25, and Zach just turned 20 the week before Bob passed. I am now 53, somewhat close to the age Bob was when I first met him.

Bob and Lorene have always been a source of love, kindness, and generosity. They lovingly allowed me to remain their "Texas daughter", and even welcomed my husband, Mike, into the family , in 2013.

This is where my words will fail me, because I cannot express enough my love, my appreciation, and my sorrow. It is as if one of my parents has died. However, I do know this, with all my heart, that we will see Grandpa Bob again.

Well done, good and faithful one.

To Lorene, Geoff, Laura, and Zoe, all of your partners, and all of the extended family - we send all of our love to you. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your lives.

With love from your Texas daughter,
Becky

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Roland Woehr

My name is Roland Woehr and I was hired by Bob and the Vestry at The Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd in 2006 as Choirmaster and Organist. I remember that Bob shepherded us through the rebuilding program after Hurricane Andrew then crafted our rental program with Penn Charter, which may have been the wisest fiscal decision of the past 20 years at MCGS. He, with the Vestry, approved the new piano, new organ and the re-hiring of professional singers as liturgical cantors and choral section leaders. Bob welcomed me into the Episcopal Church by certifying to the Diocese that I was prepared based on my liturgical and biblical background, even though I couldn't attend "Christian Formation" classes on Sunday mornings since I was working with the choir. So I was confirmed again, (this time by a bishop) because Bob was generous and broadminded in that way. I'll always remember his unfailing kindness, the warm richness of his baritone voice as a preacher and his probing intellectual discernment as a theologian. On a lighter note, if that is permissible here, I once said to Bob "You know, we really do get along quite well; I know organists and clergy who are often at each other's throats!" Bob replied "that's because I know exactly what you are." "OK (?) What would that be, Bob?" "You're my second Maserati." "Your second Maserati?" Bob replied- "Of course, Lorene is my first Maserati!" I replied, "Is that because we simply drip with the most sophisticated taste and might be considered upscale and perhaps expensive?" He replied "No, it's because you're both a little high maintenance but, Oh, the performance!!!" I jokingly relayed that conversation to Lorene who said, quick as a flash- "Don't let Bob fool you; he likes to drive fast!!" Bob was and is one of a kind, and my life, my spirituality and my faith journey have advanced amazingly because of him. What a gift he was to all of us.

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Katharine Seed

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Lorene Cary

Naughty naughty naughty Naughty naughty naughty Naughty naughty naughty

Sasha Anawalt

Philadelphia, PA, USA

Bob and Lorene after a "General Tubman" performance, February 2020

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Sasha Anawalt

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Sasha Anawalt

I like these pictures mostly because I am so glad to have them. Bob and Lorene un-posed,  eating and talking, separate yet together, within earshot and eye contact, just like having breakfast with them at their table when spending the weekend in their home.  This memory of Bob is from around 1989.  Though I first met him probably in the early 80s. Lorene is one of my most in-my-heart-woven-deep friends of life since we were 15 in high school. Lorene was working on "Black Ice" and Bob was managing editor at TV Guide (where Lorene and I wrote).  We fell into a discussion about writing books. I said I didn't think I ever could. And Bob said to me, "Well, if you were to write one, what would it be about?"  I told him that I felt it was wrong there had never been a book about the Joffrey Ballet and its founder, Robert Joffrey -- who was first generation American and known as Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan, born of a Pashtun father and Italian mother who raised him in Seattle. How did he wind up making what was called America's ballet company? With apparently no so-called legitimate classical ballet (read: Russian or New York/east coast) roots?" Bob listened and said in words that I'll never forget and that changed my life, "That's a book!" He and Lorene then arranged for me to meet their agent. The rest is history. But, the point is, Bob listened, really listened. He heard people, their hearts -- and tugged their imaginations into wide open spaces where anything was possible. He and Lorene. He and Lorene. I loved laughing with him, teasing Lorene with him, walking Angus, seeing him try to resist eating all the chocolates, watching the news  on the TV over the fireplace, planning which movie to see next, walking with Laura hand in hand, giving sermons with Zoe as an acolyte, and I loved reading his sermons, which Lorene would send to me. My husband, Bill, and I and our children wish we could be there. We love you and we will miss Bob so, so, so much. See you at the breakfast table in Philly sometime soon.

I like these pictures mostly because I am so glad to have them. Bob and Lorene un-posed, eating and talking,... Read more I like these pictures mostly because I am so glad to have them. Bob and Lorene un-posed, eating and talking, separate yet together,... Read more I like these pictures mostly because I am so glad to... Read more

Lorene Cary

This is why God gives us friends--to help remember and to see again. This is why God gives us friends--to help remember and to see again. This is why God gives us friends--to help remember ... Read more

Sasha Anawalt

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Megan McFadden

2018, Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, The Oak Road, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Father Bob, Father Ike, Megan McFadden, Adam Naj

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Megan McFadden

Adam and I were honored and delighted to have Father Bob co-officiate our wedding. I couldn't imagine getting... Read more Adam and I were honored and delighted to have Father Bob co-officiate our wedding. I couldn't imagine getting married at Good... Read more Adam and I were honored and delighted to have Father... Read more

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