Gary Smith, who for decades made scores of kids smile with his performances as Gary the Happy Pirate and who founded the Pirate Toy Fund, which has put 500,000 toys in the hands of children in need, died July 12 at age 64.
The cause was progressive supranuclear palsy.
“Gary left an incredible impact on this community through his musical talents and his dedication to making children smile,” Otto Harnischfeger, the Pirate Toy Fund’s executive director, said in a statement. “He knew how much of a difference even one toy could make in a child’s life. This charity will forever be his legacy.”
Smith was inspired to create the Pirate Toy Fund after meeting a young leukemia patient in 1992. Christie Simonetti was being treated at Strong Memorial Hospital, where Smith performed concerts, and the two became friends.
She told him that every sick child deserved a toy, and he observed her handing out toys that had been given to her by family and friends.
Smith was familiar with the Eddie Meath Penny Fund, which for 30 years collected pennies to buy toys for hospitalized children.
He adjusted that defunct organization’s concept slightly and with Christie’s parents, Lorrie and Dave Simonetti, launched his charitable organization in 1995, two years after Christie died at age 8.
The Simonettis remain active board members.
In the beginning, the Pirate Toy Fund only had enough toys for children at Strong. Within a few years, though, every hospital in the Rochester region was being stocked, and these days, any child younger than 12 who is admitted to a local hospital gets a toy.
The Pirate Toy fund also serves more than 100 other programs that distribute toys to children experiencing other types of crises.
Harnischfeger said next year’s Pirate Toy Fund drive will be dedicated to Smith’s memory.
Before performing as Gary the Happy Pirate, Smith was one half of the duo Doug & Gary, a children’s act that was wildly successful in Rochester and beyond.
Video clips from the pair’s 1991 video “The Adventures of Doug & Gary: The Happy Pirates” aired regularly on Nickelodeon in the 1990s.
They also were among Billboard magazine’s top 10 children’s entertainers in 1992 and twice performed at the White House.
Smith’s survivors include his wife, Kathryn, and six children.
Funeral services are pending.
Meanwhile, people have been sharing their memories and sorrow on social media, saying they considered Smith to be part of their families.
Radio personality Dino Kay wrote on Facebook: “A very sad day in our community … I had the pleasure of getting to know Gary and discover how he was truly passionate about his toy fund. It will live on in his name because of his dedication. He was sick for a long time, and now he’s (at) peace. I wish the best for his family and all of his fans, who have been fans since they were little, he will be missed!! RIP happy Pirate!!”
The Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Rochester posted: “Rest in Peace, Gary Smith, ‘Gary the Happy Pirate!’ You were truly one of the greatest treasures the Rochester, NY area ever had.”
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Gary Smith, aka Gary the Happy Pirate, dies at 64
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