Allerton “Tony” Garthwaite Smith, 72, died peacefully from a heart attack at his home at the Onteora Club in Tannersville, New York, on August 20, 2024.
Tony was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 21, 1951, the eldest son of Nancy (Ward) Smith and the late Peter G. Smith. He spent his childhood with his three siblings in Birmingham, Alabama. From an early age, Tony was busy making plans and entertaining others. After naptime, his mother would sometimes find he had left the house through the window to go see what the neighbors were doing. They made frequent, memorable trips to the family camp at Pocono Lake Preserve in northeast Pennsylvania, where he spent many hours fly fishing for trout on the Tobyhanna River.
He graduated from South Kent School in Connecticut in 1971, where his athleticism shined. Tony was co-captain and excelled as a defensive lineman on the football team; he once hit the running back so hard, the ball popped out and Tony recovered it to score a touchdown. He played ice hockey, lacrosse, tennis and baseball. Tony earned a degree in economics from Kenyon College in 1975 and made lifelong friends as a proud member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. After a brief stint on the crew of an oil derrick off the coast of England in the North Sea, he took a job at AmSouth Bank in Birmingham.
Tony met Rosalyn “Roz” Elliott in Birmingham in 1977. They married in 1979 and moved to New York City. By many accounts, Tony’s ambition and focus blossomed after he found Roz. After receiving his MBA from Fordham University in 1983, he spent the next four decades pursuing a career on Wall Street as a bank research analyst. During his career he worked at L.F. Rothschild, CS First Boston and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, where his team won the highest recognition by Institutional Investor’s All America Research Team for multiple years. Tony’s analysis was frequently quoted in The Wall Street Journal, American Banker, and Institutional Investor. He became managing director and oversaw corporate bond research at Credit Suisse in 2000 and took a similar position at JPMorgan Chase in 2002, supervising a team of analysts across New York, London and Tokyo. He joined Moody’s Analytics in 2006 as senior director in the capital markets research group and retired in 2017.
Tony spent over 20 years as treasurer of the British Schools and Universities Foundation, which supports educational activities in the U.K. and was founded in 1965 by his maternal grandfather, Thomas E. Ward.
An eager and generous member of the Onteora Club, Tony brought his enthusiasm, joviality and warmth to several positions on the club’s board, including director of parks and membership chair. He was also head of the club’s investment committee, served on the Onteora Historic Preservation Trust, and managed the Gun Club for 27 years. He enjoyed all of his Onteora Club activities, and he and Roz loved entertaining guests at their home, Bittersweet Cottage.
In 2000, Tony and Roz joined the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida, and made it their permanent residence after retirement. Tony was an active member of the Racquet Club, Yacht Club, and Rod and Gun Club, where he was treasurer. In 2022, they joined the Key Largo Anglers Club. Tony loved cruising the reef and canals on his boat, B’Sweet, and made many friends over games of golf, pickleball, and tennis.
Tony took great joy sharing with his wife, children, and grandchildren his love of cooking, entertaining, sports, marksmanship, and the outdoors. Tony was an avid reader. During his lifetime, he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of history, music, art, literature, and film.
Tony is survived by Rosalyn, his devoted wife of 45 years; his mother, Nancy; daughter, Mary Allerton “Mallie” (Nick) Timiraos; son, Elliott G. Smith; brother, Thomas G. Smith; sisters Amy G. Scott and Abigail G. Smith; and granddaughters Cora and Eliza Timiraos. He was especially fond of his dogs, Dalai, Leo, and Simba.
A private burial will be held on Saturday, August 31, at the All Souls Church cemetery in Tannersville. The family is planning a celebration of life for a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the British Schools and Universities Foundation in Tony’s memory.
Funeral Arrangements are under the care of Millspaugh Camerato Funeral Home, 139 Jefferson Heights, Catskill. Messages of condolence may be made to MillspaughCamerato.com.