Read Ronald Timothy Smith's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Ronald Timothy Smith

Port St. Joe, FL

October 13, 1940 - October 31, 2019

Oct 13, 1940 - Oct 31, 2019

Help keep everyone in the know by sharing this memorial website.

Share

Photo

Ronald Timothy Smith, 79, was born in Gaffney, South Carolina on October 13, 1940 to the late Timothy Smith, tailoring instructor, and Artisse Macomson Smith, teacher. He was the eldest of five children.

Ronald grew up in Denmark, South Carolina – a product of the Jim Crow South. He graduated from Voorhees Elementary School and attended Voorhees High School and Junior College for two years. As a young person, he sold newspapers, was a Boy Scout, was confirmed a Christian at St. Phillips Episcopal Church, and earned a degree in Barbering from the SC Area Trade School. He was an exceptionally bright young man and at the age of 15, Ronald was selected for an early admission scholarship program funded by The Ford Foundation at Fisk University. There he majored in chemistry, sang in the choir and found community within the international Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He graduated in 1961. He went on to study chemistry at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

Ronald frequently visited Queens, New York to see his paternal Aunts Lemuel and Claudia. One summer day, Aunts Lemuel and Claudia hosted a big picnic. Ronald was dispatched to the train station to pick up a work friend of theirs and her niece, who were traveling in from Brooklyn. It was that day Ronald Smith met Elaine Price. They married in Brooklyn, NY in June 1965.

In 1967, Ronald accepted the opportunity to serve his country in the United States Army. In active duty, Ronald served as a First Lieutenant in the Chemical Corp. He was stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia and Fort McClellan in Alabama. It was during these years that he and Elaine started a family.

After the army, Ronald put his schooling to work at Ciba pharmaceutical company in Summit, New Jersey. From there, in the early 70s, he was recruited by Corning Glass Works. It was Corning that enabled him to obtain his Master’s in Business Administration from Syracuse University. He and Elaine made a home amongst the rolling hills of Upstate New York, ultimately settling in Horseheads. While not the first, they were among the few young Black families in that area.

Their brave, open and generous personalities created a lively and bustling home. On any given day you might hear someone playing the piano or singing. The pool was the place to be for all the neighborhood children. Their barbeques attracted friends from towns near and far. They became foster parents, and fostered more than 30 children.

Ronald possessed a quiet, but entrepreneurial spirit. He was a disciple and a devotee of all things financial. After working for Corning many years, he pursued his American dream and bought into a hair salon franchise, Haircrafters. Not long after, he and Elaine ventured in to real estate.

Running a business proved challenging. He returned to work at Mansfield University in the Human Resources Department implementing Affirmative Action initiatives. It was from Mansfield that he retired in 2004. Elaine threw him an epic surprise retirement party at the lake (aka Big Pond).

A big brain, he enjoyed science, math and business. Ronald was a man of faith and few words (unless you engaged him about money), and believed in giving back to, and bettering, community. He was actively involved at The American Baptist Church in Big Flats, NY; the NAACP Elmira Chapter serving as President for a term. He founded the Society of Black Professionals at Corning Glass and served as Vice President of the local JCs. For years he kept a garden, he made wine in his basement, taught himself guitar and enjoyed “piddlin’” (tracking the stock market, paying bills, planning his financial independence) at the dining room table. He thoroughly enjoyed being a grandfather to all of his grandkids. He loved music and travelling and instilled this in all of his children.

Ronald could be serious and stoic; but he had a great smile and a big heart. Once he and Elaine both retired they volunteered for the Red Cross providing support and aid to victims of Hurricane Rita, Irma, Sandy, and other natural disasters. They provided social work and support for the families of servicemen and women who perished in duty. In need of a little rest, they retired fully to the beautiful beach community on Florida’s Panhandle. He stayed active by walking on the beach.

Suffering from Lewy body dementia, Ronald moved to the Clifford Chester Sims State Veteran's Nursing Home in Panama City, Florida in April 2018. It was there that he and Elaine weathered the devastating storm, Hurricane Michael, in October 2018.

Ronald was devoted to his wife of 54 years, Elaine Smith. He was very proud of each of his five children and all of his grandchildren.

He is survived by:
A loving wife of 54 years, Elaine Lucille Smith
Five children: Kimberleigh J. Smith (Betsy Crenshaw) of Brooklyn, NY; Ronald Timothy Smith, Jr., of Durham, NC; Heather Elise Smith of Oakland, CA; Jayson Smith of Corning, NY ; Katelyn M. Youngs (Joseph Youngs) of Horseheads, NY.
Eleven grandchildren: Elena, 18; Brooklyn 17; Elijah aka Eli, 16; Janaiya, 16; Donavan, 14; Wynter, 13; Kadin, 12; River, 11; Macii, 8; Olivia Jo, 5; Jakobi, 4.
Siblings: Roulette Smith; Janet Stephens (Paul Stephens); Vernard Quincy Smith (pre-deceased 2017); Cheryl Blankenship (Ruby Sales)
… and a host of nieces, nephews, family friends, neighbors – past and present – whose lives were touched by his big smile, often jocular affect and generous spirit.

Order a beautiful PDF you can print and save or share.

Get the PDF

Get notified when new photos, stories and other important updates are shared.