Brien Craig Smith: One in a Million, Always Ready with a Smile and a Helping Hand

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Brien Craig Smith
April 12, 1956 – September 8, 2025

Born April 12, 1956, passed away in the late hours of September8, 2025 at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. He was born at Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco, California. The son of William Dale Smith and Nancy Mkee Smith he was the middle child with older brother Lex Smith and younger sister Virginia Smith.

Originally living in Utah, in 1961 his family made the decision to move to Southern California. In third grade he met a lifelong friend Kevin Carriker. During his Jr. High and High School careers he found a love for motocross and raced a Rickman Hodaka 125cc for several years. He graduated from El Modena High School in Orange, California in 1974.

After working for a year or so after high school, Brien went away to college at the College of the Siskiyous in Weed, California. That’s where he met Dave Hyman and Jim Scott, two very dear friends of his. After attending COS he went to Humboldt State University to pursue a degree in Theater Arts. It seemed his greatest talents were building all the sets and props, then going to the cast party and cussing out all the actors.

After college Brien and Jim Scott moved to Tampa, Florida. His father acquired a freighter named the Anaqua. Brien pretty much single-handedly got that thing running. When the Anaqua was sold Brien and Jim needed a job. They approached a sea Captain they had met in Tampa and asked if he could help. The Captain got them both jobs working for a company called Western Geophysical. They worked on ships exploring for oil off the coasts of South America and the North Sea. It was an ideal life for a bachelor.

He then met his wife Elizabeth Ann Smith in 1986 and became a step-father to her three children Forrest Batson, Starla Batson and Jazmine Lance. Being away at sea two out of every three months was not very good at maintaining a relationship. He did it for a while but eventually quit the ship. His next job was working for Circle K doing maintenance on their stores. He had a pretty huge territory through a lot of the San Joaquin Valley. He and Elizabeth settled down by buying a house in the Sacramento area.

But Brien really did prefer to live in “the sticks” so when there was a job posting for the maintenance man at the fire prison camp in Southern Humboldt he applied and got the job. He then commuted for several years between Sacramento and Humboldt until eventually Elizabeth found a state job opening in Humboldt and moved they lived together in Weott. Soon after the move to Weott Elizabeth got a job at the same California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF back then) work location as Brien, Eel River Conservation Camp in Redway.

While living in Weott, Brien served for many years on the Board of Directors for the Weott Community Services District. His knowledge in the field of drinking water and wastewater was immensely useful to the community he served.

In 2001 he and Elizabeth gained guardianship of their granddaughter Roze Lance. They continued to raise her together until Elizabeth’s passing in 2009. He continued raising Roze by himself until 2017.

He retired from CALFIRE in 2019 and relocated to Reno, Nevada where he married Paula Alatorre that same year and was step-father to her children as well until their divorce in 2022.

One of Brien’s many nicknames was Smiley for more reasons than one. He truly could light up a room with his aura. His smile and hokes were contagious. He was a one in a million guy. Every person’s path that he crossed he made sure they left with a smile. No matter who it was he always had a help hand open for all. He is, and was, a pure soul.

A celebration will be held in memory of Brien on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at the River Lodge in Fortuna, California from 1:00-4:00.