Craig Sinclair Smith

Craig Sinclair Smith was born February 3, 1947 in Muskegon, Michigan. He died peacefully on July 24, 2022 surrounded by family at his home in Norman.

Smith moved to Norman in 1965 to study in the School of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma. Smith pledged the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity as a Freshman, later redesigning the SAE house located near the OU campus. He graduated from OU in 1970 and was licensed as an architect by the State of Oklahoma in 1973. In 1974 he opened his own architecture practice, CSSA, on Asp Avenue in Norman. Smith continued to practice architecture until 2018.

Smith created numerous residential and commercial sites across Oklahoma, Knoxville TN, Duck Key FL, and Sea Island GA. Throughout his life Smith traveled nationally and internationally to visit historic architectural sites and used these visits to inform the style and content of his architectural work. In the early 1980s Smith and his SAE pledge class brother Dr. Robert L. Talley designed the first homes and initial building complex of the Oak Creek Center in West Norman.

Smith was married to Jona Kay Low of Norman from 1970 to 1990. They have two sons, Craig II (Gainesville FL) and Justin (Metairie LA), both of whom grew up in Norman and graduated from OU. He was predeceased by his parents Ivan Harry Smith and Esta Cornelia Hutchinson, as well as his sister Carol S. Hudgens of Knoxville. Smith is survived by his two sons, his daughters-in-law Julie Knox and Kelly Smith, and his grandchildren Sloan and Allison Smith.

Graveside services will be held at 9:00am on Tuesday, August 2nd in Warren Cemetery (Brookhaven) followed by a brunch reception at 11:00am in the East Room at Legend’s Restaurant, 1313 West Lindsey in Norman.