Obituary of Ronan Mace Smith

Ronan Mace Smith died May 25, 2019 held by his parents after an accidental fall while visiting Warsaw, Poland with his family. Born on November 4, 2009 to Luana and Tom Smith in Portland, Oregon, Ronan was energetic, intelligent, courageous, and loving. Ronan held a big heart inside his slight frame. Never the tallest or the biggest in his class, he was the kind, helpful, and funny kid that everyone liked.Ronan’s accomplishments were not the ones to be pinned on walls, but measured by how many hearts he wiggled himself into. His teachers remarked on how he helped the kids in his classes, shared snacks during lunch, and showed compassion for all of his classmates, regardless of who they were. He enjoyed connecting with people in whatever they enjoyed. He wanted to make other people happy and his proudest moments involved helping others. We experienced Ronan’s love at home as well. He loved hugs and would shamelessly give them regardless of where we might be. Whenever we came home, Ronan would stop what he was doing and run to the door to give us a hug -- a “Running Hug” he would call them. His favorite was a hug so fierce that he would knock us over. He was so proud of himself when he could knock us down with his hugs. When not giving Running Hugs or making his classmates laugh, Ronan could be found building elaborate forts made of blankets, cushions, couches, and chairs for him and his little sister, Temi, to sleep and play in, or building ships and tanks with his Legos, or engaging in epic Nerf wars with his older brother, Stefan, or convincing his older sister Dakota that he needed a piggyback ride. He enjoyed playing soccer, Cub Scouts, and Minecraft. His favorite books were the Harry Potter (inspired by Dakota) and the Heroes of Olympus (inspired by Stefan) series. His latest interests were tanks, crystals, and mythology, and he loved reading books about them. Ronan is survived by his parents, his grandmothers Virginia DeGrood and Hatsu Smith, his sisters Dakota and Artemis, his brother Stefan, and a large extended family. He is preceded in death by his grandfathers Al DeGrood and William F. Smith. His funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church on June 14 at 2:00pm, followed by a Celebration of Life at 3:00pm. He will be interred at St. Anthony’s Cemetery in a private ceremony.