Welcome
Welcome to the Smyth Family Reunion Web Page!
The first Smyth Family Reunion was 23 years ago, and the extended family still meets every two or three years! In honor of this dedication to family, we decided to create an easy way for family members to find information about the upcoming reunions, to view photos, and to make comments on our bulletin board. Inside you will find the schedule of events as it unfolds, which you might want to check often. Come on in....
How it all began! Plans for the first Smyth Family Reunion began around 1981 when the six Smyth sisters, Helen King, Pearl Dixon, Isabel Sullivan, 
Olive Beecher, Wilma Sachen, and Gwendelyn Hughes, decided it was time to gather everyone together. The families were scattered across the country from New York to Oregon, so they chose a central location, Estes Park, CO, for the first meeting place. Wilma volunteered to take care of details and reservations, which included staying at Crag's Lodge for a few nights and then off to the YMCA of the Rockies for the rest of the week. Everyone enjoyed the experience so much that a second date was chosen.
Reunion Fun! The second reunion was set for July 1983 at the same location. For this reunion, Suzanne Igou designed T-shirts for the whole group. Many of us proudly wore those light blue T-shirts, decorated in the front with a drawing of snow-capped mountains, pine trees, and a moon. Below the drawing were the words "Smyth Family Reunion, Estes Park, CO, 1983."
Various people organized other reunions, most of which were three years apart. We've gone rafting, rock climbing, bicycling, golfing, boating, kayaking, horseback riding, swimming; we've attended a melodrama and crafting classes; we've played games and watched the families grow and change. At many reunions, Terry King prepares his famous Friday night spaghetti dinner for all, and we also have a jigsaw puzzle going in the common room where people can talk, eat, laugh, reminisce, and catch up on the news. One reunion we compiled a family cookbook; at another we collected stories for a family memory book, which included memories from extended family and wonderful photographs. For the eighth reunion held at the Wisconsin Dells area, Gwendelyn Hughes and Wilma Sachen thought it was time for another T-shirt, with each sister's family choosing a different color. This T-shirt had a Scrabble board on the back with all the family names criss-crossed on the tiles, thanks to Joe Sachen's perseverance and talent. Since we totally enjoyed wearing our "clan" colors at that reunion, Katie Parham and Jackie Turner decided to continue with the fun and have T-shirts for the 2004 reunion as well. Reid Parham designed this year's 2004 T-shirt, and we're sure you will all like what he did!
Extended family joins us! The Smyth sisters' father, William Quartly Smyth, had a sister Edith and a brother John. At the Winter Park, CO reunion, members of John's family visited us. At the Grand Targhee, ID reunion, we met more of John's family; and a few members of Edith's family also joined in the fun.
Volunteer plans for future reunions! Something for everyone to think about before arriving at this year's reunion is the opportunity for volunteering to plan our next reunion. Who will volunteer? Where will we go? Will we be digging for arrowheads in Oregon? Will we head for the high seas and take a family cruise? Will we save our money and fly to foreign lands or drive to Canada? Will we experience the Lake of the Ozarks or Florida beaches? Stay "tuned" to this web site for future news.