GoFundMe Helps Family Of Brooklyn Educator Killed By Fallen Tree

Park Slope NY

30 March, 2021

1:51 PM

Description

BROOKLYN, NY — A fundraiser set up for the family of a Brooklyn educator who was tragically killed by a fallen tree has raised more than $117,000 in a single day. Elias Smith, who worked as assistant principal at the Math & Science Exploratory School in Boerum Hill, was hit by a falling tree on Saturday during a trip home to Indiana for his father's birthday, according to local outlet Current Publishing. A GoFundMe set up for the father of two's family had raised more than $117,000 as of Tuesday morning. "Eli was a family man ... an incredibly loving and supportive husband to Lindsey and father to Evie and Beau," fundraiser organizer Thomas Sokol wrote. "Eli's sudden passing leaves a hole in the lives of many, but none will feel his absence more acutely than Lindsey, Evie, and Beau...The Smith family needs the help and support of friends near and far now more than ever." Smith, 40, was with his brother in the backyard of his parents home in Carmel, Ind. when a sudden storm sent the tree crashing down as the two tried to take cover, according to Current Publishing. He had grown up in Carmel before heading to Washington University for college and then Pace University in New York City for a graduate degree, the outlet reports. Smith worked as a math teacher at the Math & Science Exploratory School for nearly a decade before becoming assistant principal in 2014. "Eli was one of a kind; he had a brilliant, inquisitive mind, a quirky sense of humor, and a kind soul," Sokol wrote. "He was a devoted educator, and he made a positive impact on the lives of many through his work in the classroom and as an administrator." Find the GoFundMe for Smith's family here.