Frank "Smitty" Smith passed away at his home on Thursday, January 7, 2016. Frank was an amazing man. He served in the Marines in WWII as a corporal where he was honorably discharged. He has 3 beautiful children (Ron, Frank, and Carol), and a large extended family that he loved with all of his heart.


Always, active and full of wit and wisdom, Frank offered many life lessons that we should all learn from. First, he knew every single pothole on every single road, and so should you. If you have squirrels, humanely trap them and offer them an education. Frank would often trap squirrels and drive them to Widner College in Chester, PA to release them to further their education (off of his property). As a side-note, consider tagging the squirrels, so if one were to come back, as was often suspected, then you could take it back to college. Also, when driving, everyone else is wrong and you are not - whether you (or the passenger) like it or not. Frank loved his garden, and was an avid grower of tomatoes. He would grow his own vegetables, and save the seeds for the next season. He would always wait until the tomatoes were spaghetti-sauce ripe and eat them like most people eat an apple. This is something he would often suggest you consider. Frank taught his friends and family never to be afraid.


For the first 89 years of his life, he had never traveled in an airplane until his daughter, Carol and her husband, Todd took him to visit his son Frank and grandchildren Kira and Matthew on a trip to Las Vegas. His grandchildren often complained (one of them a full grown adult, mind you) that they could not keep up with how fast he could out-walk them. He repeated this trip two more times, as recently as November, 2015.

Frank would often remind you to eat your steak charred, and to stay away from chicken. Always stay away from eating or consuming chicken. Also, he taught us that if you have a child named Frank who disconnected the speedometer in order to disobey the rule of "you can only drive 10 miles," if you are a welder, you will find out, then you should weld the speedometer onto the car so it can never be released again.

He was an avid lover of sports, western movies (especially ones with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood), and boxing. A huge fan of Philadelphia teams, such as the Flyers, Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers, he would try to never miss a game. He loved his family, consisting of children Ron, Frank, and Carol, and his grandchildren, Kira and Matt. He would often offer to show you a photo of his so-called "pride and joy". Frank would happily pull out photos of Pride furniture wax and Joy dish cleaner. Always one to laugh, he also loved to participate and help his friends and neighbors (and keep his grey hair in a flat top).


He was an active member of his senior club, at one point acting as president. He is survived by his younger brother, Julius, his children Ron, Frank, and Carol. He is also survived by his two grandchildren, Matt and Kira and many nieces and nephews. Frank, his humor, and wisdom will not be missed, but remembered and celebrated by those who knew him best. Anyone who tries flying in a plane at 89 for the first time in their life and then proceeds to walk faster down the Las Vegas strip than people in their 20's just needs to be celebrated. You have made such an incredible impact on many, you are loved by all, and we will never forget you.

Visiting Hours will begin at 10 AM Wednesday at the White-Luttrell Funeral Home, 311 N. Swarthmore Ave, Ridley Park followed by a Funeral Service at 11AM . Burial SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery.


Memorial gifts may be made to Honor Flight Philadelphia, Attn: Andrew Schiavello, 7 Windsor Circle, Springfield, PA 19064 or at http://honorflightphiladelphia.org/