1936-2025: Stan Smith placed importance on family, Elks

If Stan Smith was working on a project, you knew the final product was going to be perfect. He expected and delivered nothing less — whether it was the community display at the Central Florida Fair, the work he did at Continental Can Company or the elaborate Christmas displays in which he expected his neighbors to participate.

Stanley Norman Smith, also known as Papa Stan to generations of family members, died April 1, 2025. He was 88.

Mr. Smith was known for his attention to detail, his love for his community and his affinity for bluegrass music. He introduced his daughters, Pam Smith and Angie Smith, to the musical genre at an early age, and the family traveled the tour circuit with the bands.

“He loved bluegrass, and he followed all these people through all the festivals,” Pam Smith said.

This is how he liked to spend his six-week summer vacation.

“And if we weren’t at a bluegrass festival, we were in our popup camper at the Yogi Bear park,” Angie Smith said.

Mr. Smith was a lifelong lover of music. As a student at Lakeview High School, he was the marching band captain and played French horn prior to graduating in 1954.

He also was known to spend decades in one place: He was a machinist foreman at Continental Can Company for 32 years, was a member of Winter Garden Elks Lodge No. 2165 from 1970 to 2025 and served as secretary for 24 years.

He liked being in charge, and in addition to his service as Elks secretary, Mr. Smith was president of the West Orange Jaycees in the 1960s — helping build the original Kiddie Korral children’s playground in Newton Park — and PTA president at Tildenville Elementary School when one of his daughters attended there. Another daughter went to Dillard Street Elementary School, and he loved helping the PTA with the school carnivals, Halloween parties and other campus activities.

He also was the master at organizing events, especially during the holidays. He built floats for the annual Winter Garden Christmas parades for the lodge, and he headed up his neighborhood’s front yard tree display.

“Dad would build, paint and set up our front yard with displays,” Pam Smith said. “All the lights were green and blue, and he spent hours and hours to make sure they were working and hung perfectly on our house.”

When the family lived on North Boyd Street in Winter Garden, Mr. Smith planned the Christmas Tree Lane, which included every house on the block.

“Both sides of the street had Christmas trees in the front yard, and he would take out his tape measure from the edge of the road and mark in their yards where to put the tree,” Pam Smith said. “He would stand in Larry Walker’s house at the top of the street and look (north) down the street and make sure they were all aligned perfectly.”

He was the committee chairperson for all the family events and Christmas parties. Family reunions were themed with skits, and Mr. Smith created an itinerary, set up practice time throughout the weekend for his grandchildren and made sure the music was perfect. He designed all the reunion T-shirts that were worn through the years, and he kept the designs in a file on his computer.

Mr. Smith was a stickler for organizing photos, whether they were taken during the holidays or at family reunions and vacations.

Pam Smith said her dad spent hours making CDs of photos from weddings, birthday parties, baby showers and other events; added bluegrass music; and mailed them to family and friends.

“We have all had to sit in front of his TV and watch them over and over,” she said.

He made all the photo albums for the Elks national conventions too.

As a lifetime member of Elks Lodge No. 2165, Mr. Smith had a hand in a variety of activities, many of which raised money for the community. He was involved in the parades, charity ball, turkey shoots and other fundraisers. He also ran the Americanism awards program at several local elementary schools.

What he loved most about the Elks organization was its community involvement.

“It was all about how much we could do for this community; raise money and help his community,” Pam Smith said.

Every spring, from 1974 to 1989, Mr. Smith was in charge of the community display at the Central Florida Fair. His exhibits were so meticulously prepared the club won numerous first-place ribbons and trophies.

His daughters said he worked hard on these displays. If he was showcasing honey, he made sure the lights behind the jars were perfectly lined up so fair-goers could see the honeycomb. Every piece of fruit in the display was wiped down to make it shine.

Fellow Elk member Bob Szollosy has known Mr. Smith since the former was in FFA at Lakeview High and they worked together on the fair booth. They later served together at the lodge in 2010 when Smith was secretary and Szollosy was exalted ruler.

“The main thing was he was all about doing right for the community and the Elks Lodge,” he said. “He was just one of those people who was just always there for you.”

Mr. Smith’s family, including Katie Smith, his wife of 42 years, and his children, are planning a celebration of his life at 11 a.m. Friday, April 25, at West Orlando Baptist Church, 1006 E. Crown Point Road, Ocoee. Friends and family will gather from 10 to 11 a.m. A reception will follow at the Winter Garden Elks Lodge, 700 Ninth St., Winter Garden.