The family of Howard Smith, 79, said he would be remembered for his great sense of fun, and his generosity and love of people and sports he played.
His lifelong love of music was ignited when he learned the drums while at school.
He played in three bands — Opus6, Echoes and Bay City Big Band — and was in high demand, playing four nights a week.
Howard took up the game of bowls in 1977 at the age of 35 at the Kia Toa club, following in the footsteps of his father Bob and mother Daphne.
They were all classy bowlers, showing South Canterbury players how to play, and each achieved their gold star for winning five South Canterbury titles, with Bob winning eight.
One of Howard’s greatest thrills was winning the South Canterbury champion of champion pairs with his father Bob in both 1982 and 1986.
He also went on to win the South Canterbury open singles.
A highlight of his bowls career was being part of the Kia Toa club team that won the national New Zealand division 2 interclub 7s in Auckland.
He also won the Kia Toa Easter tournament twice, at a time when the tournament fielded teams from around the South Island.
He put a lot of energy into Bowls South Canterbury and joined the board in 2006, becoming chairman in 2007. He stepped down in 2018.
During this time Howard guided the Ashbury, Park and Victoria Park bowling clubs through the process of closing, and also helped four clubs merge into two.
He was manager of the South Canterbury team on a number of occasions, and his hard work led to him being made a life member in 2019.
Howard also played badminton and tennis, and represented South Canterbury in both sports.
He was a keen golfer at the Timaru club, and achieved three holes-in-one. He also loved fishing and camping.
In his later years, he loved supporting his grandchildren in the sports they played.
Howard died at Hospice South Canterbury on April 22.
He is survived by his wife Jeanette, and sons and daughters-in-law Nathan and Karen and James and Wendy, and six grandchildren.
— Richie Kerr
