Gary William Smith

Gary Smith, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away on September 1, 2026, at the age of 75. Gary lived a life defined by his love for his family and his dedication to helping others.

Gary is survived by his wife Vicki Flucard Smith. They shared 36 years of marriage. Together, they built a life filled with love, family, and many cherished memories. Gary was devoted to Vicki and deeply proud of his family.

He is survived by his daughter Rebecca and his grandchildren, Jason, George, and Jasmin, sister in-law and brother-in-law Charlotte and Patrick, and nephew Ian who all brought great joy to his life. He is also survived by his brother, Craig and his wife Ally, his sister Kathy and her husband Burke. Gary was a loving uncle to Amanda, Matthew and his wife Zyanya, Amber and her husband Nick, Brittany and her husband Chris, and a great uncle to Reagan, Gavin, Ellie, Vivian and Emilia.

Gary had a love for fishing, especially in the beautiful outdoors of Oklahoma. He enjoyed the peace, quiet, and simple pleasure of fishing with his grandchildren, family and friends.

Gary was a mentor and guiding presence to his family, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, offering wisdom, encouragement, and support throughout their lives. He was often the voice of reason in his family, known for his thoughtful advice, steady perspective, and ability to help others find their way.

For more than 40 years, Gary devoted himself to helping people struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. He shared his own story and his journey of drug abuse. Having walked that difficult road himself, he knew the pain, challenges, and uncertainty that came with addiction—and he also knew that recovery and a better life were possible.

At the age of 25, Gary found himself suffering from an addiction to drugs. After trying and failing with other approaches and programs to handle his addiction, he heard about the Narconon Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Program based in Los Angeles. He enrolled in that program in 1975, and upon completion, made the decision to dedicate his life to helping others overcome addiction. He joined the Narconon staff and eventually became Executive Director of Narconon of Los Angeles. During his tenure there, he was involved not only in the day-to-day life-saving activities of delivering the Narconon Drug-Free Withdrawal Program to the thousands of addicts and alcoholics who came through the door, but also in promoting the Narconon program to the public through the many community events he helped organize and implement, including the creation of the very popular celebrity softball team, the Narconon All-Stars. He also founded The Friends of Narconon Foundation which is a drug education program dedicated to educating children about the truth about drugs and their effect on the body and mind. These community outreach activities have continued to be effective in the education of the public concerning the devastation of drugs and in providing help in their personal search for answers in overcoming addiction.

In the late 1980s Gary embarked on a new project to establish and open a larger Narconon facility at Chilocco, Oklahoma. It was there that he met his wife, Vicki Flucard. Together, they began their work at Chilocco to save the lives of those still caught in the grip of drug and alcohol addiction.

In the late 1990's Gary was instrumental in the acquisition and renovation of a 250-acre hunting lodge near Eufaula, Oklahoma known as Arrowhead. Again, he and the many Narconon staff who assembled from all over the world began overseeing the renovation and grand opening of Narconon Arrowhead which opened in 2000 and was one of the largest drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers in the world at that time. Narconon Arrowhead was also designated to serve as the international training center for those who wish to train in the delivery of the Narconon Drug-Free Technology Program and open their own Narconon programs in their local communities.

Today, Gary's pioneering work in the area of drug and alcohol recovery lives on through the thousands of people who are living clean productive lives and restored to their families and faith through the Narconon program and the dedicated people working at Narconon centers all over the world.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation in Gary’s memory to Friends of Narconon Foundation, an organization founded by Gary, a drug education program dedicated to educating children about the truth of drugs and their effect on the body and mind.

WAYS TO DONATE:

Friends of Narconon Link: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/SLZG4YCUFJNTA

Mailing Address: Friends of Narconon 622 East Villa Street Pasadena, CA 91101

No services for Gary were held. To leave a personal message, please visit his guestbook at www.shipmansfuneralhome.com. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Shipman's Funeral & Cremation Service of Pryor.