Wayne Smith
6 MAY 1932 - 14 DEC 2001
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Wayne Smith's Funeral 2002
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Wayne Smith's Funeral 2002
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Stockett - Doyle - Jim Ryan - Robinson
Pemberton - Wayne Smith - Auer - Rich Miller
2001
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Drummond - Wayne Smith - Roades
2001
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Father Oscar - Kathleen Mendenhall and Mary Ann Villet (McWilliams daughters) - Ronnie and
Bill McWilliams - Ann Button (Ronnie's neice) - Kevin Smith (Wayne's son) - Wayne Smith
45th Reunion - 2000
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Gunderson - Bill Anderson - Roades - Wayne Smith - Welter - Auer
2000
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Wayne Smith - Ed Anderson - Bob Newton - Bob Russell - Jim Eddins
1987
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K - 1
1st Row: Skaff - Raynal - Joe Franklin - Rich Miller - Knieriem - Wayne Smith - Law
2nd Row: Torrence - Steinman - Napier - Brunstein - McWilliams
3rd Row: Guthrie - Hock - Livesay - Pettet - Ed Anderson
4th Row: Jerry Hawkins - Funkhouser - Fleming
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Back row - Pettet - Guthrie - McWilliams - Steinman - Law - Hock - Raynal
Front row - Ed Anderson - Livesay - W. Smith - Air Force Officer - Knieriem - Torrence
USAF Trip 1953
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I remember Smitty well from our cadet days. Always a smile - always determined..and it seems that he never changed. We crossed paths again at Fort Leavenworth - and it was as if the years melted away. Having read of his service record - and based on his compatriots comments - Smitty was a true Son of West Point - a leader and a warrior - to the very beginning of his next life. I am proud to have known him. Leon E. McKinney December 15 - 2001 I never saw Wayne after graduation - but I remember the good times we had in boxing and soccer. He was an A Number One Troop - and always ready to defend the Runt's honor in South Area. I can still see his smile and remember his jokes. Good on ya - buddy--rest in peace. Tom Turner December 15 - 2001 I am sorry I did not know Smitty better. I do know that I never spent an unpleasant moment in Smitty's company. We will all miss him. He was a great guy! Grip Hands........ Jim Ryan December 15 - 2001 I got to know Smitty about three years ago when he was in North Carolina fighting cancer for his life. Smitty was always upbeat and purchased a computer in order to join the USMA 1955 Net so he could stay in touch with his classmates. Smitty's courage fighting his sickness was something I will always remember. Well done Smitty - the long fight is over....now be at peace. -w Bill Welter December 15 - 2001 Dear Family ~ Several years ago Smitty and Dave Pemberton came up to the Durham VA to put on a Cajun Christmas show and cheer up our patients. I will never forget that. Smitty was sicker than most of the patients but you would never have known it. Like the Trooper he always was the "show went on" and the troops were appreciative and inspired. So were the Doctors and Nurses!! They don't come any better than your Dad. I am proud to have served with him and proud of his Service to our Country. He fought a great fight to be with us this long. Every day was a gift we will all treasure because he did so much for our lives. Godbless JF John A Feagin December 16 - 2001 "Wayne R. Smith here" he would always say when I would call and we would solve all the world's problems. He was always ready to see you when you came through....and brighten your day. I'll miss those talks and those visits with a great man who is now giving counsel to the Almighty. Tell Him we're down here still fighting the good fight and put in a good word for us Smitty. You have fought the good fight and have won your battle. You are an example for all of us. Rest in peace good friend. We'll see you soon..... Tommy:) TOMMY WEST December 16 - 2001 It is with profound regret that I must inform you of the passing of Wayne Smith - USMA Class of 1955. In characterisitc style - Wayne fought to the end - which came at 2100 hours - Friday - 14 December - at Cape Fear Valley Healthcare Center. Those of us privileged to have known and worked with Wayne were blessed with an excellent friend and counselor. The Army and the nation were blessed to have this remarkable officer and gentleman lead their most valuable asset -- their sons -- in battle and in peace. He will be sorely missed. Jeff Donaldson - '69 West Point Society of Ft. Bragg-Sandhills December 17 - 2001 God bless you my classmate - my friend and an old stick buddy. Al Parker December 17 - 2001 Combined Arms Trip - summer '53. We were at Eglin over a long weekend - and Smitty - Staffen and I hitchhiked to Panama City. Too cheap to use our limited resources on a motel - we slept on the beach in our swimming trunks. The weekend was a blast - but sunrise the last morning sticks in my head. It was early and hot - as usual - but with it came a deck of cirrus that caught the sun and lit the dawn in a display that was almost pyrotechnic. After watching the colors change for several minutes - Smitty mused - almost to himself "Beautiful! I'll never see a prettier one." I figure he has now. We all treasure our memories of you - Smitty - and we salute your courage in the last battle. Sweet sunrises. Chuck Ewing December 18 - 2001 I knew Smitty primarily from those who knew him much better. However - I do know we've all lost a valued classmate - friend and soldier. Peace be yours - Smitty. Walt McCrillis January 8 - 2002 MEMORIES OF WAYNE SMITH In early 1998 - Dave Pemberton called to tell me that Wayne Smith had been hospitalized with cancer. Until then 1 had known Smitty only casually - but I dutifully went to visit him and we chatted awhile. He said he knew what he was up against but he intended to fight it all the way. Since I was the only classmate in town who had Internet contact with the class network - I put out an e-mail bulletin concerning his condition. I soon began to get e-mail and phone messages asking about him. Then I realized how popular he was among classmates and other colleagues. He and I were to become fast friends. Seeing the need to keep his friends informed - I visited regularly - reporting his status. When released from the hospital - he went first to a local nursing home - still bedfast. Pembo suggested we round up a few classmates and visit Smitty. As Don Reid - Don Andrews - Pembo and I approached his room - we started singing Benny Havens - a West Point song. We entered the room and he was grinning from ear to ear - talking on the phone with another classmate - Charley Johnson. Smitty's daughter Erin was also there visiting. I think Smitty started to rally that day. From the nursing home - he moved to the V A Hospital - supposedly to the hospice ward. Others around him were dying - but he seemed to be thriving. We classmates decided to try to take him out for lunch - ",.ith the hospital's permission. Dan Moses - Dean Longbottom - Don Reid - Dave Pemberton and I took him out several times - though he was still mainly dependent on a wheel chair. He seemed to enjoy himself immensely . During an early visit - while he was still bedfast in the hospital - we had agreed to attend the opening game of the 1998 baseball season. I was skeptical about whether he would ever make it - but I felt it gave him a short-range goal to aim for. We saw several games that year - and every year through 2001. We began calling our group the Fayetteville Faithful - and I would periodically report our activities and Smitty's progress via e-mail. We organized a surprise birthday party for Don Reid - our most senior classmate. Don was tasked to pick Smitty up at the hospital and bring him to the restaurant. Don was surprised at the crowd of friends and classmates who showed up - but Smitty provided a surprise of his own. I had arrived at the restaurant early to find that our party was being set up on the balcony - with no elevator available for handicapped customers. I insisted that we had to eat on the ground floor because we had a wheelchair patient with us who couldn't handle stairs. They hastily set up some tables downstairs for us. As Don drove up to the entrance - I moved toward the car to help Smitty into his wheel chair . Before I got even close to the car - Smitty got out and strutted into the restaurant using only a cane and proud as a peacock. Those were giant steps for him. He soon left the V A hospital and returned briefly to the nursing home - but finally went back to his own apartment. He bought a car - a convertible - no less - and got around town quite well by himself. He flew to California and Colorado to visit his family - and drove to Washington - DC - and back more than once. He was suffering - but he was not ready to quit. His last big effort was to help promote a dedication ceremony honoring our departed classmate - Tom McCarthy - held at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in mid-November. Smitty was there that day - but he was showing signs of losing the battle. He and I watched the Army-Navy game together at the Fort Bragg Sports USA complex - and he attended the December meeting of the local West Point Society two days later. He was so happy to relate to us how his West Point ring - which he had lost on a trip to California a year ago - had been found and the finder was sending it to him. The ring arrived a few days later - after he had gone back into the hospital - but while he was still conscious. He saw it - touched it and may have slipped it on a finger - but by then his hands had become quite swollen. Only hours later he went into a coma from which he never fully recovered. Smitty proved conclusively that he was a fighter to his dying day. Knowing him and becoming his friend and looking out for him these four years has - I am certain - made me a better person. Thanks for being part of my life - Smitty - and God bless you. Jack McCloskey January 19 - 2002 A Neat "Smitty" Story About His Ring Go to: http://www.fayettevillenc.com/obj_stories/2002/jan/n18pett.shtml Fayettville Observer January 23 - 2002  Taps MAY / JUN 2006 |
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