Mansfield F.W. Smith

Mansfield F.W. Smith was a pioneer and innovator in the field of otology and widely known for the use of new and innovative procedures to correct the architecture of the inner ear.

He died Dec. 18. He was 85.

Mansfield instilled in his children a love of nature, the mountains and Fallen Leaf Lake. He spent every summer at the lake. He founded the local fire department and served as a volunteer firefighter and physician with the department well into his 70s.

Mansfield was born in San Marino on July 28, 1929, to Margaret Williams Smith and Robert L.I. Smith.

He attended Governor Academy, UC Berkley and George Washington University School of Medicine. He did his surgical internship at Madigan Army Hospital and otolaryngology residency at University of Michigan.

He practiced otology in San Jose, taught at University of Stanford Medical School and UC Davis Medical School.

Mansfield was published in numerous medical journals and texts and cofounded the Northern California Transplant Bank. His interest in medicine extended to politics and policy making and he put energy into both. He served on the board of the California Medical Association and as president of nearly every medical association related to his specialty.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Gilbert L.I. Smith and Robert L.T. Smith, and his second wife Linda Ramsey.

He is survived by his first wife Charlotte Rosson, his children Jennifer S. May, Wendy Smith Novick (Tom) and Mansfield F.W. Smith (Donna), seven grandchildren who called him Manpa, and many friends and colleagues.

A gathering in his memory will be Jan. 10th in the UC Davis Alumni and Visitor Center from 2-4pm. A celebration of his life will this summer at Fallen Leaf Lake.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Fallen Leaf Lake Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 9415, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158 or the California Transplant Donor Network, 1000 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94607.