Donald John Smith

Castleton on Hudson- Donald John Smith, 77, of Teddie Blvd. passed away at the Riverside Center for Rehab and Nursing in Castleton after a short illness on Sunday, October 4, 2026. Born in Manhattan, Donn was the son of the late John David Smith and the late Elizabeth Laura Smith. Donn was raised in Queens and was a graduate of Archbishop Malloy High School High School.

After graduating high school in 1966 Donn traveled to San Francisco to visit his older brother Paul. There he learned to ride motorcycles and enjoy live music at places like the Haight-Ashbury district. He met many musical greats like the members of the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Johnny Cash, the Winter Brothers and more. He returned to New York in the late 60s and was recruited into the NYC live music scene including becoming a sound and light engineer at Fillmore East and at the Baggy Studios rehearsal space. He toured the world with groups such as Blue Oyster Cult, Queen, Cream, The Who & Jimi Hendrix.

Around this time, he met the love of his life, Nicola "Nicki" Smith. She joined him at Baggy's where they lived and worked. In August 1969, she joined him at the famous Woodstock Music Festival where he built the stages and worked the sound and she acted as an assistant for organizer Michael Lang.

In Sept of 1970 their first daughter, Holiday (known as Holli), was born. Nicki primarily stayed home (first in Manhattan and then in Staten Island) with Holli while Donn continued to travel the world with many musical groups. For several years Nicki and Holli were able to travel the world with him. In 1975 the family moved upstate to Ulster County. Donn co-owned a music studio in Newburgh called Phoenix Audio. In 1978 Nicki and Donn had their second daughter, Rosemay. By this time Donn had transitioned into Salsa and Latin music and was providing professional sound engineering for musicians and performers such as Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe and other members of the Fania All Stars.

By the mid-1980s Donn was looking for another creative outlet that kept him closer to home. He received his Associate's degree from Ulster County Community College in Landscape Design and Architecture and started the landscape design and maintenance company "The Gardiner's Gardeners". Many high school students spent their summers lawn mowing for the company!

On weekends he also started volunteering as a referee and umpire for local town and school sports leagues. Umpiring soon became a very important activity in his life and a full-time job. He progressed through the ranks and traveled to Florida every year to work spring training games for colleges and minor leagues. Sports had always been a major focus of Donn's life. He was a die-hard Mets and Jets fan and tried to go to games as often as possible. Nicki, Donn and the girls went to Cooperstown every year for the Hall of Fame inductions.

Unfortunately, Nicki and Donn divorced in 2001. Donn spent some time in South America and moved back to the states in 2009 to be closer to "his girls". Nicki and Donn loved each other as best friends and Donn helped Nicki with her elderly mother until her death at the age of 99 in 2014. Donn was happy to be back to spend time with his 5 grandchildren and to support his daughters and their partners. He was very proud of them all until the end of his life.

Donn beat lymphoma in 2019 with the help of the oncology department of Mount Sinai. Around that time, Nicki and Donn were able to take a trip of a lifetime to the UK seeing family and old friends and visiting sites that had been on the bucket list forever. Unfortunately, Nicki was diagnosed with Alzheimer's soon after their return. She moved in with their daughter Holli. Donn and Nicki continued to have adventures and loved spending time with their daughters. In 2026 Donn was diagnosed with liver cancer which quickly metastasized to his lungs, bones and stomach. He passed away very shortly after diagnosis.

Survivors include his daughters Holli Boyd-White of Averill Park, and Rose Smith of New Paltz, his brother Paul of CA, sisters Carole Jean Smith of TX and Beverly Gillia of CO along with 5 grandchildren and a great grandchild.

Donn made an impression on every person he met. He lived a very colorful life. He actually lived multiple lifetimes in just 1 life. He traveled more than most humans do. He loved hard and he fought harder. He will be missed. His family will be holding a celebration of life in the spring of 2027 so that more people will be able to attend. If you have asked how to help, the family welcomes support toward memorial celebration expenses in lieu of flowers via https://www.supportnow.org/donald-smith. Your care and messages mean a great deal either way.