Walker Smith, Jr.<br/>April 1927 - December 2014

Walker Smith, Jr. passed away peacefully in Newport Beach, CA on December 21, 2014. Walker was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in in Pasadena, CA. He attended The Polytechnic School in Pasadena and Stanford University in Palo Alto. Walker was active in the Zeta Psi fraternity and graduated from Stanford in 1950. During World War II Walker served in the United States Coast Guard aboard a patrol frigate in the Atlantic Ocean.

After graduation, Walker moved to Redding, CA and worked for the family owned Shasta Forest Company. He met his future wife, Molly Muntzel Smith, and the pair later wed in Portland, OR in 1954. The couple settled in Redding, CA where Walker founded the Shasta Savings and Loan Association. In 1958, they moved to Redlands, CA where Walker was active in both residential and commercial real estate development in the growing Inland Empire. He relocated his family to Newport Beach, CA in 1968 and expanded his commercial development business into Oregon, Washington and Illinois. Walker also served on the Board of Directors for Gibraltar Savings & Loan of Beverly Hills, CA and facilitated the financing of numerous real estate projects throughout Southern California.

Walker was a wonderful father and husband and was dearly loved by his family and friends. He was an avid golfer and tennis player and enjoyed boating in Newport Harbor. He was a founding member of Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach, CA and an active member/golfer at Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage, CA. He was a long time member of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in Newport Beach, CA.

Walker was very active in non-profit organizations and served as the president of the Smith-Walker Foundation and The Desert Youth Foundation in Palm Springs, CA. Walker was also instrumental in the development and operation of the Pathfinder Ranch in Garner Valley, CA. Founded by Walker’s parents, Walker and Marguerite Smith, in 1963 to provide summer camping and outdoor educational experiences for youth and members of the community, the Pathfinder Ranch has grown to serve tens of thousands of Southern California youths in over 50 years of continuous camp operations.

Walker was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Molly M. Smith in 2011. Walker Smith, Jr., is survived by daughter Kim Smith, and sons Walker Smith III and Clarke Smith, all of Newport Beach, CA. Private services were held at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar, CA. In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation be made in Walker’s name to The Pathfinder Ranch, 35510 Pathfinder Road, Mountain Center, CA 92561. www.pathfinderranch.com