Paul G. Smith

Paul Smith, QC, Who Built a Legacy of Love, Service, and Trusted Counsel

SMITH, Paul, QC – A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and steadfast friend, passed away on February 9, 2025, at the age of 86 in Guelph, Ontario. A man of integrity, humour, quiet strength and wisdom, Paul built a life centered around family, enduring friendships, and a lifelong commitment to his community.

Born on March 6, 1938, in Arthur, Ontario, Ralph Paul Gillies Smith grew up in a household where hard work, self-reliance and Christian values were part of the fabric of everyday life. A natural leader, he captained the Arthur District High School basketball team and spent summers working as a farm hand before pursuing degrees in Business and Law at the University of Western Ontario (Ivey, ‘61, Faculty of Law, ‘64). Recognized for academic excellence, Paul was an exceptionally bright and curious thinker, someone who approached the world with both intellectual rigor and practical wisdom.  Always with a twinkle in his eye.

In 1965, Paul co-founded law firm Smith Smith with lifelong friend and law school classmate, David Crawford Smith.  Over the years, Smith Smith would grow to become Payne Smith Smith, Smith Valeriote, and finally SV Law, a leading Guelph law firm. Paul was deeply invested in building the firm, not just as a practice but as a cornerstone of the community where both colleagues and clients could thrive. Paul’s wise counsel and unwavering integrity earned him the abiding respect of his clients, and many credited him with having a lasting impact on their businesses and their lives.

Community service was important to Paul, as was his faith. In university, Paul served in the Canadian Officers’ Training Corps, part of the Army Reserve Corps, and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Later, Paul served as President of the Royal City Kiwanis Club, Commissioner of the Police Services Board of the Guelph Police Force, Chair of the Board of the Guelph General Hospital, Chair of the Guelph General Hospital Foundation Board, and an active member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Chalmers United Church and Three Willows United Church.

Paul valued his friends dearly and spoke of them often. Adventurous and unflappable, he built rich, lasting connections, and those closest to him prized his intellect, humour, calm fortitude and loyalty. Across mixed bridge, duplicate bridge, cottage trips, golf trips, fishing trips, Jays games, travel, co-investing and community service, Paul could always be counted on for a good story or a good debate.  And, above all else, good advice. In the words of a beloved friend, “When your journey ends I will miss you, my mentor and dear friend.”

At the center of Paul’s life was his greatest love, his wife, Sara Smith (née Willis). They met at Huron College in 1959, and so began a love affair that would span eight decades.  Married in 1962, Paul and Sara raised four children in a home filled with books, pets, optimism and laughter: Doug Smith and his wife Julie Smith, Sara Halstead (née Smith) and her husband Terry Halstead, Colin Smith and his wife Stephanie Smith, and Andrew Smith and his wife Jennifer Bottos. Paul was a devoted grandfather (and crazy-eights partner) to Sarah and Adam Poirier, Megan and Nick Smith (mother Marcie), Charlotte, Alex and Nathan Halstead, Abigail (Abby), Lucas, Meredith and Rhys Smith, and William and Abby Bottos-Smith. Family was important to Paul, and he remained close to his parents, brothers, and cousins throughout his life. He was predeceased by his dear parents, Ralph and Jean, and his beloved brothers, David and John (survived by Shirley).

Paul was a doer and a born engineer. His children fondly remember swinging hammers and splicing electrical wire alongside their dad at the family cottage on Twelve Mile Bay. But, more than anything, Paul loved Sara. He admired her love of learning, and together they travelled the world. He deeply respected her values, and together they looked for the good in the world, whatever challenges came their way. And he was drawn to her spirit of fun & adventure. And, together with family and friends, they spent their summers exploring the islands and open waters of Georgian Bay, and their winters soaking up the sun in Doral Village, Caladesi Park and Captiva Island, Florida.  The only thing that Paul loved more than Sara, was Sara in a boat! “Yoh-hoh-hee-hoh-hoh!” they’d chime on a breezy summer’s day, and off they’d charge to find adventure in their treasured 30,000 Islands.

For those who knew and loved him, Paul Smith was a steady hand, a sharp mind, and a warm heart. He built a life filled with purpose—guiding clients with wisdom, building memories at the cottage, and chasing new adventures with Sara.  Above all, he was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, finding his greatest joy in the lives of his children and grandchildren. His legacy lives on in the family he nurtured, the friendships he cherished, and the community he helped shape—a lasting testament to a life well lived.

A celebration of Paul’s life will be held on Saturday, June 21 at Three Willows United Church, 577 Willow Rd., Guelph, with a time to be announced.

Arrangements entrusted to the WALL-CUSTANCE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL 519-822-0051 / www.wallcustance.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Three Willows United Church or to the Guelph General Hospital.

A tree will be planted in memory of Paul G. Smith in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.