A Life of Service and Commitment

Over PWRDF's 50 year history, many individuals have made a lasting difference in the lives of people around the world through their support for PWRDF. Here we present one such story.

There are people who live their lives quietly and humbly, never seeming to make many waves, but leaving a big impact in their wake. Harry Richard (Dick) Smith was one of these people.

Dick was born in 1919 in Saskatchewan. A quiet and shy man who never married, he lived with his brothers on the family farm in rural Saskatchewan. He was a lifelong Anglican, and when his home church of Holy Trinity Weldon closed, he became a member of St Michael and All Angels Church in Grenfell. While he lived a quiet existence on the farm, he spent his spare time learning about the world around him, and his family used to tease him that he had earned a PhD in the CBC. He read the Anglican Journal from cover to cover and was impressed with the work of The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. As a farmer, he felt a connection with “people of the earth” who were struggling in other parts of the world.

Dick lived very frugally. He knew how to reduce and reuse long before they became the buzzwords of the environmental movement. He could make something out of nothing and could fix almost anything.

One might ask what the impact of such a quiet and unremarkable life could be. His nieces and nephews would tell you about the love he felt for them, and the support he provided, especially during difficult times. His church and his community would tell you about the difference he made through volunteerism. Our environment would thank him for the very small environmental footprint he left behind. And PWRDF partners around the world have benefited from the substantial amounts he was able to bequest when he passed away in 2006. Thanks to Dick’s unselfishness and his devotion to helping others, his legacy lives on and continues to change lives, change communities, and change the world.