Obituary of Larry J. Smith

BALTIMORE:  Larry Joseph Anthony Smith (Ephraim Ben Avraham v'Sara) of Baltimore died in a traffic accident in Crown Point, New York, at age 69 on June 30, 2026. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Larry grew up mainly in Seaford, Delaware, and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He earned a BS in electrical engineering from Cornell University in 1978 (on a full scholarship) and an M. Ed. in counseling from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 1984. In 1994 he became interested in Judaism after some synagogue experiences; he converted in 1996, the same year he married Rabbi Ruth Ehrenstein. Twins Sam and Jacob were born in 1999.

Larry's work life was dedicated to helping teenagers grow into healthy adults. In 2000, he and Ruth were the founding directors of Camp JRF (now Camp Havaya), the summer camp of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement, and Larry remained on the administrative staff through 2004.

He held various education-related jobs throughout his career. In the last years of his life, Larry found his calling as an academic tutor, where he could use his scientific and mathematical knowledge to support the learning of young people of all ages while also helping them cope with anxiety and other life challenges.

Larry's passion was playing and singing folk music with family and friends, including song circles, folk festivals, and gatherings with his New Jersey folk music friends, whom he's known for over 30 years. He composed over 40 songs.

Above all, Larry's first love was his family, and during Covid he initiated weekly calls with his immediate family as well as his brothers and sisters.

Larry is survived by his wife, Rabbi Ruth Smith; his sons Jacob (Shulamit Passaro) and Sam; his siblings David (Helle Heyerdahl), Donna Hurley (Larry Hurley), Brian (Lynn), and Dean (Monica); his brothers-in-law Steve (Elissa) Ehrenstein and David (Judy) Ehrenstein; his nieces and nephews Shenandoah, Carolina, Krista Hurley, Maria Hurley, Leah Lilly (Drew Lilly), Jeffrey (Shaquay James), Lauren Umbehagen (Mark Umbehagen), Sam Ehrenstein, Abby Ehrenstein, Zachary Ehrenstein, and Reid Ehrenstein; and his father-in-law Gerald Ehrenstein. His parents, Margaret and Donald Smith, predeceased him.

The burial and funeral will be on 2 August at Congregation Ohav Shalom in Albany, New York.

The family requests donations to the following organizations, which represent Larry's passions to educate, to help disadvantaged youth, and to embrace life through music.

STEMcx, the education arm of Transforming Lives Community Development Corporation. https://stemcx.networkforgood.com/projects/303586-larry-smith-memorial-fund

Camp Havaya, to support financial aid for campers.

https://camphavaya.org/support.

Brandeis University, Sam and Jacob's alma mater, to support scholarships for disadvantaged students. You may specify that it's in memory of Larry Smith. http://brandeis.edu/give

The Guthrie Center, "The Temple of Folk Music". https://guthriecenter.org/support.html

Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online condolences and guest book.