Don E. Smith

1933 - 2023

Don E. Smith
April 16, 1933 - May 19, 2023
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania - Don E. Smith of Bellefonte, PA passed away on May 19, 2023, at the age of 90. Don is survived by his wife of 63 years Nita (Williams) Smith of Bellefonte, PA; a daughter Tamara Smith of Bellefonte, PA; a daughter Lynne Stewart (Ralph) of Bellefonte, PA; a son James Smith (Amy) of Port Matilda, PA; a grandson Jonathan Stewart (SO: Emily Meehan) of Boston, MA; a grandson Thomas Stewart (Katelyn) of Julian, PA and their daughters Llewyn and Elzada; a sister Barbara Veal of Carlsbad, CA; a sister Patricia Rudy (Ralph) of Kilgore, TX and Chautauqua, NY; and a brother Harrington Smith of Albian, PA.
Don was preceded in death by his parents Henry Thoreau Smith and Amelia Pasqualina (Mazza) and by a brother, Jonathan Smith of Ohio.
Don grew up in Guys Mills, PA, one of five children and was the sibling most likely to get out of chores (often by paying his youngest sister to do his) and disappear into the outdoors to hunt or fish or into the shop to tinker on a transistor radio, ham radio, or other emergent technology. Don was a star basketball player on the Randolph East Mead High School team.
After graduating from high school, Don joined the Air Force. He completed Air Traffic Command (ATC) and Radar Mechanics training at Keesler Air Force Base, MS, and was appointed as a staff sergeant to the 1974th AACS MATS Squadron under the 45th Air Division (SAC) at Loring AFB in Limestone, ME. Don is a veteran of the Korean War with 19 months active war duty in Korea. During his time of service, Don earned numerous commendations for excellence in leadership, character, and technical proficiency.
Honorably discharged from the Air Force after four years, Don worked at Bell Aircraft Corporation in Buffalo NY. He left Bell after three years to attend Gannon University in Erie, PA, graduating with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering in 1963. While attending Gannon, Don worked at Erie Resistor Corporation.
Upon graduation from Gannon, Don joined HRB Singer Inc. in State College, PA. During his early career with HRB, Don attended The Pennsylvania State University, graduating with a Masters in Electrical Engineering, and obtained several patents for instrumentation for measuring the range and size of buried or hidden metal objects. Don worked as a systems and signal processing engineer for Raytheon (formerly HRB Singer) for 30 years and then for SRI for 24 years before retiring at 83.
Graveside services will be held privately at the convenience of the family. A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, May 26, 2023, at 2:30pm with Pastor Bob Dornan officiating, at New Hope United Methodist Church at 1089 E. College Avenue, Bellefonte, PA 16823. Arrangements are under the direction of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc. Bellefonte PA 16823.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.wetzlerfuneralhome.com