Obituary of John F. Smith

John Francis Smith passed away peacefully at his home in Tafton on Monday, August 10, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. John was born in Newark, NJ on February 9, 1930 to Michael Smith and Rose Carolan Smith. He graduated from Irvington High School and studied civil engineering at Columbia University and Indiana Technical Institute in Fort Wayne, IN. John worked as a civil engineer for 44 years and was the CEO of Concrete Forms Company in Carbondale, PA. During his career, he designed concrete forms for the construction of the Guggenheim Museum, the Metro Transit System, and multiple airports and bridges in the US and the Middle East. He served 5 years as First Lieutenant in the US Army during the Korean War. John was always involved in a construction project at home or at work and readily volunteered his construction skills to help others. John married Jean M. Casey on August 30, 1952. John is survived by his wife Jean and 7 children: Rosemary Foster, RN, Lansdale, PA; Kathleen Smith, MD, Portland, OR; Michael Smith, Oceanport, NJ; Casey Smith, Woodside, NY; Mark Smith, Paradise Valley, AZ; Kevin Smith, Pond Eddy, NY; and Timothy Smith, Tafton, PA. Sean Smith of Columbia, SC predeceased his father John on March 26, 2014. John was a loving father and devoted grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by 16 grandchildren: Lt Colonel Corey Smith, Ramona, CA; David Smith, Glacier National Park, MT; Alison Foster, Philadelphia, PA; Lori Foster, Lansdale, PA; Georgia Smith, Baton Rouge, LA; Sadie Smith, Scottsdale, AZ; Gina Harper, Athens, Greece; Savannah Smith, Montreal, Quebec; Michael and Daniel Smith, Oceanport, NJ; Shannon Smith, Portland, OR; Rachael Smith, Scottsdale, AZ; Sean Patrick Smith, Reno, NV; Chance Smith, Tafton, PA; Liam Smith, Tafton, PA and Seamus Smith, Tafton, PA. John and Jean have 3 great-grandchildren: Brennan and Casey Smith, Ramona, CA; and Merci Harper, Athens, Greece. John was active in the Knights of Columbus and served as a lector for 40 years at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Fort Wayne, IN and BVM Queen of Peace Parish in Hawley, PA. He was the president of the Spinnler Point Colony Association for 6 years. Memorial services will be scheduled at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please donate to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or the Paralyzed Veterans of America. We would like to extend a special thanks to the Wayne Memorial Hospital Hospice staff for their excellent care.