Thomas Lee Smith

Thomas Lee Smith, age 82, died peacefully on September 3, 2023. Tommy was preceded in death by his father, Lee Elliot Smith, and his mother, Sarah Taylor Smith. Tommy is survived by his wife of 56 years, Beverley Beachum Smith; daughter, Sharon Seward; son-in-law, Richard Seward; grandchildren, Holden Seward and Elizabeth Seward; sisters, Anne Pulliam (William) and Nancy Harris (Byrd); and nieces, Amy Hoyt (Rick) and Susan Rabinowitz (Paul).

Tommy was born in 1941 in Hampton, Virginia, and graduated from Hampton High School in 1960. He attended Old Dominion University and graduated from the NASA Apprentice School. His career at NASA included technical supervision in the Gas Dynamics Complex, 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel, and the National Transonic Facility. Tommy retired from NASA Langley Research Center in 2000. In his retirement, Tommy volunteered with "A Gift from Ben," a nonprofit organization distributing food to the hungry in Williamsburg.

Tommy enjoyed life on the Chickahominy River, including boating, fishing, and pulling Beverley water-skiing. Tommy never met a stranger; if you talked with him for more than five minutes, he would invite you to the river. Tommy was a born host, and, in his retirement, was able to exercise this skill daily with the "garage group."

Tommy was a member of Ivy Memorial Baptist Church in Hampton, and, most recently, Huguenot Road Baptist Church in Bon Air.

The family would like to express sincere thanks for the care given to Tommy by the staff at Bickford of Chesterfield Memory Care and Affinity Hospice.

The funeral will be held Friday, September 15, 2023, at 2pm, at Huguenot Road Baptist Church, with a reception to follow. A celebration of Tommy's life will be held at the river at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org) or the charity of your choice.