Gregory S. Smith, 65, of Southern Pines, NC went to heaven on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023 at FirstHealth Hospice House. Praise God he is now free of pain after many years of illness.

Greg was born November 19, 1957 in Puebla, Mexico, to the late Paul and Dorothy Smith, who were Bible translators working with the Chinantec people. The family lived in Santa Ana, CA and Cedar Hill, TX after returning stateside. Greg graduated from Cedar Hill High School in 1975. He joined the US Air Force, and was stationed at RAF Bentwaters near Ipswich, England, and Beale AFB. After military service, Greg returned to Texas and worked as a handyman for a few years. In the fall of 1982, “life started getting better” when he met Diana Lilly at the church singles group and a deep love quickly developed between the two of them. They married in December 1983.

Greg earned a degree in avionics from Spartan School of Aeronautics in 1988 and was quickly hired by United Airlines as an aircraft mechanic in San Francisco, CA, where in 1990, Greg and Diana welcomed their daughter, Leah. The family moved to Denver, CO when Greg became a Flight Simulator Technician at United’s pilot training center. Being a “simtech” allowed Greg to virtually fulfill his lifelong dream of being a pilot by flying airplane simulators, despite a heart condition that disqualified him from the real thing. (He could pull off some aerobatics in a 747 you wouldn’t believe.) Greg retired early in 2010 due to physical disability, and in 2017 he and Diana moved to Southern Pines, NC to be closer to Leah.

Greg accepted Christ as his savior at age seven and his faith grew throughout his life, despite a great struggle with chronic pain and illness. He touched the lives of many with his faith, positive outlook, and sense of humor. He enjoyed painting, drawing, writing, photography, listening to music and learning about just about anything, especially by reading biographies. More than anything, he enjoyed spending time with his wife and daughter, and he will be remembered as a loving husband and wonderful dad.

In addition to his parents, Greg was preceded in death by his father-in-law Dean Lilly. He is survived by his wife Diana and daughter Leah, his five siblings and their spouses, Marv Smith (Jan), Marlene Jones (Travis), Becky Nystrom (Paul), Gabe Smith (Kim), and Paul Smith (Gina), brother-in-law David Lilly and mother-in-law Doris Lilly, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews who he loved very much.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Samaritan’s Purse and FirstHealth Hospice.

A memorial service will be held at the FirstHealth Hospice Chapel on July 15th at 11 AM.

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