Page created by: Nicole Joie Smith

Hugh Maxwell Smith, Jr. was my father, my role model, and my source of strength. He was born in Puerto Rico in 1947 and lived most of his life on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He was incredibly smart, easy going, and talented at whatever he put his mind to. He's well-known on St. Thomas for being a bartender and club manager at one of the most popular nightlife spots during the 70s; for his dedication to education, be it teaching math or working for the Department of Education securing grants to fund schools and for his absolute love of the game of golf-and his commitment to inspire young people to love the game as well.
My father was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2004; I was 16-years-old. While his disease slowly progressed over eleven years, he was still able to often play golf, which I think was his saving grace for having to struggle with losing control of his motor functions. Unfortunately Parkinson's took a toll on his body and he became extremely frail, losing close to 100 pounds in body weight. This would prove to be fatal, as my father fell and broke his hip one evening and a week later he had passed on, due to, I suspect, a blood clot formed by being immobile for too long.
Parkinson's Disease was just a sliver of all the characteristics that made up my father's being. My hope is that people remember him the way I do: always joking around and laughing; a vibrant and glowing soul.