Darwood "Waldo" Kaye

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Darwood "Waldo" Kaye
Birth name	Darwood Kenneth Smith
Born	September 8, 1929
Died	May 15, 2002 (age 72)
Spouse(s)	Jean Venden (June 1951 - 2002 (his death))
Notable roles	Waldo in Our Gang

Darwood Kenneth Smith, also known by the stagename Darwood Kaye (September 8, 1929 - May 15, 2002) was an American former child actor, most notable for his semi-regular role as the snooty rich kid Waldo in the Our Gang short subjects series from 1937 to 1940. Other minor roles included Best Foot Forward with Lucille Ball and Kansas City Kitty playing the role of Keller in both. [1]

At the age of 15, Darwood quit his acting career and became baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist church. He felt that his career on the silver screen wasn't the right life style for him to be leading if he was going to be a faithful and devoted Christian. [2]

[edit] Smith's ministry

After serving in the United States Army for a year and half, he attended La Sierra University, an Adventist college in Riverside, California. It was here that he met his future wife of 50 years, Jean Venden for the first time. They were married in June of 1951, and shortly after, they were the proud parents of three boys, Dan, David, and Richard. Darwood became a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, ministering at churches in San Diego, Palm Springs, Escondido, and Ocean Side.

In 1957, Smith (known by his family and the church as "Ken") felt the call from God to do missionary work in Siam (present day Thailand) in Southeast Asia. Three years later, their fourth son, Donald, was born in the Mission hospital in Bangkok. The Smith family remained in Thailand for 14 years before going back to the U.S. permanently. Here, Smith continued his ministry pastoring several Southern California including churches in Santa Maria, St. Helena, La Cresenta, Burbank, Norwalk, and La Sierra (where his eldest son Dan is now the current senior pastor). In the early 1970s, he served as mission president for two years and was responsible for coordinating missionary work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church across the country.

[edit] Downplayed his Hollywood days

A quiet man who never was ostentatious, Pastor Smith did not advertise his days in Hollywood, said Brad Whited, associate pastor for the administration at La Sierra University Seventh-day Adventist Church, a 2,500 member congregation. "He downplayed it," Whited said. "he was a very mild-mannered man and didn't brag about that."

Considering the fates of some of the child actors Pastor Smith worked with--including Blake who has been charged with murdering his wife--"I would say he made a good choice," David Smith said. Pastor Somchai Piromgraipakd, now pastor of the Thai Town Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Hollywood added, "Pastor Smith loved the Thai people and was very committed to his work in Thailand."

[edit] Last days

At about 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 15, 2002, Smith, then 72 years-old, was on his daily walk on Riverside's Arlington Avenue. A small, tan truck drove up on the sidewalk, hit him and stopped. Then the truck sped away, police said. Pastor Smith died about 8:40 p.m. at Riverside Community Hospital, surrounded by his four sons--all pastors-- his wife Jean, and other relatives. He was one month shy of celebrating his 51st wedding anniversary. Kenneth is survived by one brother, Dennis, his wife Jean, four sons, Dan, David, Richard, and Donald, and nine grand-children, Kamie, Garrett, Karlie, Trevor, Kenton, Nathan, Nicholas, Alex, and Eric.