James Desmond Smith

With sadness we announce that Jamie - James Desmond Smith, died peacefully at home on Sunday, January 4, 2026. He was a wonderful father and confidant to his two children, James Desmond (Des) Smith (Jo-Anne Allard) and Wendy Catherine Smith (William Lumsdon).

Jamie shared a special bond with his brother, Stephen CameronSmith (Smith), and his wife, Anne. Many Muskoka long weekends filled with golf, good friends, and great food were held at the homes that Jamie and Doreen shared.

Predeceased in 2024 by his wife of twenty-four years, Doreen Morrison. He is remembered with love by Doreen’s family, Dane Morrison, Alissa Morrison (Jim Duthie), and Shelley Reville.

Son of Miriam Irene Blackburn and Major-General James Desmond Blaise "Des" Smith. Jamie’s early life included following his father’s post-war military appointments, living in Ottawa, Kingston, and London, England. Recently, he recounted hanging from the balcony of Canada House watching Queen Elizabeth roll past in her carriage on Coronation Day.

Following boarding school at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Jamie moved to his parents’ home in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. After studies at Carleton University, he started his automotive career in truck fleet management with General Motors. Various industry roles prepared him to open Beacon Ford in Baie d’Urfe, Quebec, in 1976, which he owned with his first wife, Cathy until the family left the province of Quebec in 1982.

Jamie had a lifelong passion for sailing. While living in Montreal, the family boat Wind Wagon was moored at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club. Jamie either raced his own boat or crewed for others. An opportunity to crew on a Dragon brought him to the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Dragon Trophy Series hosted at Britannia Yacht Club in Ottawa in July 1967. In attendance was a fellow visiting sailor, HRH Prince Philip himself, and by luck, Jamie found himself included in a post-race audience of 10 sailors with the Prince.

After moving to Oakville with his family in 1982, Jamie held a number of automotive dealership General Manager positions in the GTA and was active in the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association. He retired from ADP Dealer Services at 65, and he and Doreen moved to Muskoka full time.

Following his interest in antique and classic boats, Jamie served on the Board of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, Toronto Chapter, from 2003-2009 and was President from 2006-2007. He also served on the ACBS International Board. In 2013, Jamie was inducted into the ACBS Honour Roll in support of classic boating.

Jamie was directly involved as the lead fundraiser of Grace and Speed, the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centre. Opening its doors in Gravenhurst in 2006 as Canada’s largest in-water collection of classic wooden boats, it has now become the Muskoka Discovery Centre, the home of regional culture and boating history. At the same time, he was heavily involved in the restoration project of Miss Canada IV, an iconic piece of Canadian powerboat history representing Canada's early attempts to dominate world speedboat racing.

Jamie shared his business and sales experience by serving on the Board of Muskoka Community Futures from 2010 to 2015, helping entrepreneurs launch their business journeys.

Jamie is the Past Director and Founding member of the Florida Vintage Raceboat Club in Tavares, Florida. He and Doreen spent many winters in Mt. Dora, Florida, where Jamie enjoyed ‘Peanuts’ with the guys and connecting with other vintage boating enthusiasts.

Together with his friend Murray Walker, Jamie co-founded the Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame in Bracebridge, Ontario. Opening in 2024, it was a passion project to preserve the history of speedboat racing in Canada. What started out as a small idea to keep the stories of racing past alive is becoming a national storehouse of history as well as a showcase for the future of sport boat racing.

On March 20, 2025, in recognition of his service to Canada and impact on the community, Jamie was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

Our family would like to thank the Closing the Gap Home Care program teams of nurses and PSWs whose care and visits throughout December helped Jamie through his treatment for Endocarditis. A special thank you to Mary Lou Roberts for her caring friendship over the last year of his life.

A celebration of Jamie’s life will be planned for family and friends in the spring.

Should you wish to honour Jamie’s life, donations may be made to:

Canadian Raceboat Hall of Fame www.canadianraceboats.com

Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation www.heartandstroke.ca