Reginald Edwin Smart was born on June 23, 1916, in Winnepeg, Canada, to Gladys and Edwin Smart. Reg moved to the United States and earned his U.S. citizenship. He attended Washington University and graduated with a degree in Restaurant Management. During World War II he served his enlistment in the San Francisco Bay Area working for Pan American AirLines.
He and his wife, Arline, moved to Truckee in 1947. They opened the Good Fellows Grotto in downtown Truckee. In 1955, Reg and Arline opened Smart's Cafeteria and Dining Room located at the Tahoe-Truckee Y. They sold Smart's in 1968. They continued to operate the Good Fellows Grotto and renamed it “The Wagon Train Coffee Shop.” They sold the Wagon Train Coffee Shop to their son, Brian, in 1978. Reg and Arline raised four children and Reg was very active in Truckee and the surrounding area. He was an active Mason right up until his death and was the oldest living Mason in Truckee Lodge No. 200. He served on the Tahoe-Truckee School Board as well as the Sierra College School Board for many, many years. He was very proud of his achievement in getting the swimming pool built at Sierra College and was honored by the school for his efforts. He was a long time Truckee Lion. He was the chief cook for many years for the Lions' benefit barbecue. He was also a founder and charter member of the Chief Truckee chapter of E Clampus Vitus. He was a avid fly fisherman and duck hunter. He joined the Canvasback Gun Club in Fallon, Nevada, in 1948. Reg and Arline enjoyed traveling after their retirement visiting the eastern United States and Alaska. They “snow-birded” to Phoenix for the winter months and returned to their home in Truckee for the summertime.
Reg's sisters, Muriel Gendron and Ethel Johnson, both preceded him in death. His wife of 69 years, Arline, died in October 2003. Reg is survived by three of his four children: Karen (Cookie) Dillavou of Central Oregon and Brian Kent Smart and Joyce Caperon both of Truckee. Reg's oldest son, Reginald Smart Jr., preceded him in death in 2004. Mr. Smart is also survived by six grandsons, four grand-daughters and 13 great grandchildren. Memorial Services were held at the Truckee Cemetery on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, followed by a Celebration of Life hosted by his grandchildren at the home of Lorna Smart in Truckee.
TDHS Editor’s Note: Reg Smart was a long-standing member of the Truckee-Donner Historical Society we will deeply miss.
He and his wife, Arline, moved to Truckee in 1947. They opened the Good Fellows Grotto in downtown Truckee. In 1955, Reg and Arline opened Smart's Cafeteria and Dining Room located at the Tahoe-Truckee Y. They sold Smart's in 1968. They continued to operate the Good Fellows Grotto and renamed it “The Wagon Train Coffee Shop.” They sold the Wagon Train Coffee Shop to their son, Brian, in 1978. Reg and Arline raised four children and Reg was very active in Truckee and the surrounding area. He was an active Mason right up until his death and was the oldest living Mason in Truckee Lodge No. 200. He served on the Tahoe-Truckee School Board as well as the Sierra College School Board for many, many years. He was very proud of his achievement in getting the swimming pool built at Sierra College and was honored by the school for his efforts. He was a long time Truckee Lion. He was the chief cook for many years for the Lions' benefit barbecue. He was also a founder and charter member of the Chief Truckee chapter of E Clampus Vitus. He was a avid fly fisherman and duck hunter. He joined the Canvasback Gun Club in Fallon, Nevada, in 1948. Reg and Arline enjoyed traveling after their retirement visiting the eastern United States and Alaska. They “snow-birded” to Phoenix for the winter months and returned to their home in Truckee for the summertime.
Reg's sisters, Muriel Gendron and Ethel Johnson, both preceded him in death. His wife of 69 years, Arline, died in October 2003. Reg is survived by three of his four children: Karen (Cookie) Dillavou of Central Oregon and Brian Kent Smart and Joyce Caperon both of Truckee. Reg's oldest son, Reginald Smart Jr., preceded him in death in 2004. Mr. Smart is also survived by six grandsons, four grand-daughters and 13 great grandchildren. Memorial Services were held at the Truckee Cemetery on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, followed by a Celebration of Life hosted by his grandchildren at the home of Lorna Smart in Truckee.
TDHS Editor’s Note: Reg Smart was a long-standing member of the Truckee-Donner Historical Society we will deeply miss.
