Obituary of Thomas Smith

Pete was born June 7, 1930 in Latham, Kansas to Merle and Gladys Turney Smith. He passed away Dec. 13, 2009 at The Lakes in Banning, Ca. where he was a resident for 2 years. He and his wife moved to Sun Lakes in 1995. His family moved from Kansas to California in 1936 for a better life after losing their farm to the depression and the terrible drought of those years. They traveled, the famous, Route 66 and were stopped in Upland, where his father was offered a job in the lemon groves. The family then settled in Upland and went through the Upland Schools. His brothers, Kenny and Keith were instigators in building the baseball field at The Upland Memorial Park. Kenny was given an old back stop from the Fourth Street Park in Ontario. The 2 boys pushed it up Grove Ave to the new Memorial Park in Upland to help build the baseball field. Pete married Bernardine Bateman on Dec. 15, 1950 and was drafted in the Army the following March here he served 2 years in the Military Police. In 1959, he joined the Upland Police Department as a patrolman and went up the ranks to a Captain. He was active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the community and coached many pony league teams. In 1975 he left the Police Dept. to take a position as a Police Chief through the State of California at Cal Poly University in Pomona where he retired in 1989 due to health reasons. He is survived by his wife, Bernadine and 4 children. Tom, of So. Dakota, Linda Munson of Crestline, Sandy Tarris of Calimesa and Spike of Anchorage, Alaska. A foster daughter, Candy Crain. 2 daughter-in-laws, Kim and Debbie Smith, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. A sister Ruth Trammell of Scotts Valley, California, and many nieces and nephews.