Updated: Sep 22
September 3, 2025
(Founder of Sourland Hills Actor Guild)
Retired Montgomery Township School District music teacher and band director Christian Smith died September 3, 2025 in New York City after a long battle with cholangiocarcinoma.
One might consider Christian Lee Smith an “Everyman.” He had the ability to connect with people from many walks of life. He was as comfortable building a home as he was planning a musical or theater performance or discussing the current events of the day. Chris could fix anything and happily assisted others when they needed help. Chris designed and built an addition on his young family’s home from scratch, with the help of a few family and friends.
He was an accomplished music teacher who worked tirelessly to mentor his students and generously shared his talent to inspire and serve the wider community. Chris was a band director for the Montgomery School District for an amazing 37 years! He had a gift of balancing hard work, patience and steadfastness with joy, humor, and play.
Chris was a quiet, thoughtful man who might burst into song, hammer a nail, or break into laughter at any moment. Ahh - his laugh! It came from his gut and radiated into our very being - drawing us all in.
He was an incredible son, brother, father, spouse, grandfather, and friend. Strong, loyal, loving, playful, and devoted, he engaged fully in his life and with others. He never failed to catch the irony in life - remaining a loyal New York Mets fan to the very end. (Queue his infectious laugh!)
Chris was a gifted actor and had leading roles in "The Fiddler on the Roof," "Grease," "Bye-Bye Birdie," and other performances. His portrayal of Tevye from "Fiddler on the Roof" garnered him dedicated fans who felt that he rivaled Zero Mostel’s Broadway performance. This was a memory shared almost immediately by many of friends and family after his passing.
He founded the "Sourland Hills Actor Guild," in Skillman, New Jersey, to bring theater to the Montgomery Township Community. Not only did he share his acting chops but he also directed many shows, encouraging casts with patience, skill, and humor.
Christian Lee Smith met Virginia Lee Lucas in 2000, at the first meeting of Music of the Heart, a benefit to raise funds for Montgomery Township high school scholarships for college. They were paired together to sing “Ain’t Misbehaving,” a jazz classic beloved by both of them, and the rest was history.
They performed and directed each other in many iconic musicals and also sang together at weddings and performances. Their last artistic endeavor was as members of The Rivertown Radio Theater, where Chris not only voiced roles but also creatively provided the sound effects using objects from their farm. Those of us who had the opportunity to know them benefited from their loving relationship.
Chris was the beloved father of Christiana and Angela, of whom he was immensely proud, loving them deeply. They recall a childhood filled with memories of sailing, jogging, and riding roller coasters with their dad. As adults, they enjoyed traveling, cooking, trading recipes, and gardening secrets together.
Chris was also the treasured Papa of Nevaeh - they adored one another and shared gardening, driving the tractor, competing in 5Ks, and raising many chickens.
After his retirement in 2009, tending to the Misty Morning Farm was his favorite pastime, echoing his grandfather Harvey Clark, a lifelong farmer.
Chris was survived by his wife Virginia Lucas; his mother Katherine Smith, his brothers Brad and Shawn Smith and their families, his daughter Christiana, her husband Drew Anderson, and their son, Miles; his daughter Angela, her husband Neptuno Moretto, their children, Orion and Aurora; and his daughter Nevaeh.
A memorial service will be held on October 12, 2025 at the Blawenburg Church, 424 Rt 518, Skillman, at 2 pm.
Donations can be made to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in Christian's name. Donate here:
