It is with great sadness that the death of the Rt Revd David Smith, former Bishop of Bradford, has been announced.
Born in Hertfordshire in 1935, he was ordained in 1959 and served the former Diocese of Bradford from 1992 until his retirement in 2002, when he was succeeded by Bishop David James.
Prior to that role, he had served as Archdeacon of Lindisfarne, Bishop of Maidstone and Bishop to the Forces.
Speaking of his retirement, Bishop David said at the time:
"Being a bishop is a life of costly self-offering. I have never been concerned with having a career or ambition. It is a question of obedient service and I am very torn, as I have greatly valued my time as Bishop of Bradford and in many ways would like to continue longer.
"The normal retiring age is 65 and I have been privileged to serve longer than that."
The Rt Revd Nick Baines, Bishop of Leeds said in tribute: “This is very sad news. Bishop David was loved and respected in Bradford and will be remembered across the faith communities for his faithfulness.
“May he rest in peace and rise in glory. We send our love and condolences to Mary.”
Bishop David was a keen supporter of the QED Foundation which works with the Church of England on behalf of disadvantaged ethnic minority communities in the UK.
Bishop David is pictured in 2018 with QED deputy chief executive Adeeba Malik CBE (left), Chief Executive Dr Mohammed Ali OBE and Mary Smith.