A memorial service for a longtime Coquitlam resident who served in the Korean War will be held tomorrow, Oct. 20.
The celebration of life for Frank Joseph Smyth will be hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion branch 263 (1025 Ridgeway Ave.) at 3:30 p.m.
Smyth died from cancer on Sept. 30 at Crossroads Hospice. He was 90.
A veteran of the Korean War, and a military police veteran having also served in the Canadian Armed Forces until 1970 in Egypt, Cyprus and Lebanon, Smyth was honoured in 2014 with a commendation for his community contributions by Canada's then minister of veterans affairs, Julian Fantino.
A legion member for some five decades and the branch's parade marshal for a dozen years, the Ranch Park neighbourhood resident helped with the Poppy Fund and Remembrance Day events.
He took charge of the parade square for the Korean War ceremony in Burnaby and was the co-chair of the Dogwood Veterans Group, which set up displays at Dogwood Pavilion in Coquitlam to teach students and others about wartime experiences.
A former board member of the George Derby Centre, a long-term care facility in Burnaby for 300 veterans, Smyth was also a Mason and Shriner.
"He was all-in — all the time," son Daryl Smyth told the Tri-City News today, Oct. 19.
"It just never stopped. He was very active in the community…. He was sharp as a tack right to the end."
Smyth leaves behind his wife, Gail, two sons and a grandson.
