W. Keith Smith

W. Keith Smith

August 4, 2026

Keith Smith, 91, was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1934. He grew up playing pond hockey and was active in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout and serving as a Troop leader. Inhigh school, Keith worked in a flower shop and a creamery, where he developed his love of butter, and delivered milk via a horse and buggy. He never lost ties to his humble beginnings even as he rose to success in consulting and banking.

Keith earned his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan and married Kae Woodin, whom he met in his first year at Regina College, where he played hockey as a goalie. They moved to Calgary, Alberta, for him to become a Chartered Accountant (CPA), following which they moved to London, Ontario, where he obtained his MBA from the University of Western Ontario. After graduate school, Keith and Kae settled in Brooklyn, NY, where he worked for Haskins & Sells and Booze Allen & Hamilton, Inc., becoming one of the fastest, at that time, to make Partner. While in New York, their only child, Kelly, was born. Keith loved the travel that came with consulting, frequently traveling between Caracas, Bogotá, and Mexico City. With Booze Allen, they moved to Chicago, where he later transitioned into banking, which allowed him to be at home with his family and be active at his beloved Saddle and Cycle Club, where he served as president in the late 1970s.

After steering the Central National Bank of Chicago through difficult times, his career took off through many moves in the early 1980s. He lived in Montreal, working for the Bank of Montreal; in San Francisco, working for Crocker National Bank; in Seattle, working for PACCAR; finally settling in Pittsburgh in 1987, joining Mellon Bank as CFO and subsequently was named Chairman and CEO of the Boston Company and Chairman of Dreyfus, both Mellon acquisitions. He retired from Mellon in 1999 as Vice Chairman of Mellon Financial Corporation and Senior Vice Chairman of Mellon Bank N.A., serving as a Director of each. He maintained friendships with many of his past classmates and colleagues until his death, including his administrative assistants Lori Klueber and Bertha Burke.

A type ‘A’ personality who loved nothing more than challenging work in complex organizations, he often spoke wistfully of his two retirements, the first from Mellon and then from his corporate board positions with DENSPLY International Inc. and Pennsylvania Power & Light.  Following retirement, he remained active, serving as interim CEO of West Penn Allegheny Health System and being involved in other businesses and startups. Keith was very generous with his success both personally and through the family foundation he established.

Ever the Boy Scout, he cared for Kae tirelessly through her five years of poor health. Following her death, he married Barbara (Bobbie) Gott Martha. Together they shared 18 years of fun and adventure. Through Bobbie, they had a wide and wonderful social life and traveled frequently with her family to Argentina, Chile, and Idaho to fly fish. He loved spending time and creating memories with Bobbie’s children and grandchildren, particularly through visits to Chautauqua, NY, and at Gott Family Reunions. He was so proud of Bobbie’s garden, enjoying nothing more than sitting outside at the end of the day enjoying the view.  He loved his twin grandsons Peter and Davis immensely, from when he tried to teach them to crawl, getting on the floor himself to show them how it is done, to seeing them graduate from college, which was his goal, and perhaps one of the keys to his long life.

Keith will be remembered for his deep integrity both personally and professionally and would ask that you think about this in the next presidential election. He will also be remembered for his love of music, specifically, River City Brass Band and Roy Orbison’s Black and White Night Concert, which he would often put on while enjoying a glass of Chardonnay. Keith was preceded in death by his parents, Eva Grace Smith and W. Givens Smith; his brother, Ronald Smith; and his first wife, Katherine Woodin Smith. He is survived by his daughter, Kelly (Douglas Pawlowski) Kurschner, and his twin grandsons, Peter Smith Kurschner and W. Davis Kurschner; his sister, Marjorie (Rodger) Tourigny; and his nephews, Michael (Kate) Tourigny and Joel (Catherine) Tourigny. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Smith, and her sons John Paul (Tiffany) Martha, Christopher Gott (Jennifer) Martha, and Richard Hays (Sandie) Martha, and step-grandchildren: Jack, Logan, McKenney, Brody, Riley, Tyler, Kegan, and Kaili Martha.

The family is grateful for Nancy Bishop, his longtime housekeeper and, more recently, his caretaker.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to River City Brass Band at  https://rivercitybrass.org/end-of-season-ask-26/ or RCBB, 500 Grant Street, #2720, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 or Allegheny General Hospital at https://tinyurl.com/4spast37 or AHN Office of Development, PO Box 535604, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-5604 and put Allegheny General Hospital in the memo line.

The family will receive visitors at Fox Chapel Golf Club on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Burial will be private.

Arrangements by Weddell-Ajak Funeral Home, Aspinwall. 

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