Roy Smith

Roy Edward Smith was born on Jan. 23 1931, to Dorothy Allison Matthews and Roy Clay Smith in El Paso, Texas. He attended school in Deming, New Mexico, and while at Deming High School he excelled at sports. He was the teams quarterback and took his team to its first and only New Mexico State Championship. His skills on the field were seen by Bear Bryant and he was picked up to play the quarterback position for the University of Kentucky. He completed two years of college and then decided to join a pilots training program for the Air Force. During this time, he met and married his first wife, Donna O'Dell (August 1953-1965). They had two children, Terri Jean Smith, born Dec. 7, 1955, and Tamara Lee Smith, born July 2, 1962. After completing his pilot training he was stationed at England Air Force Base in Louisiana as a 1st lieutenant. He was awarded his first Commendation Medal during this time for Meritorious Achievement. He was transferred to Japan three years later and served at Yokota Air Force Base, where he won his 2nd Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for exceptional meritorious services in 1963. After four years in Japan, he was transferred to Albany, Georgia and began the first of two tours of duty in Vietnam. During this time, he remarried twice, to Shirley Heath and Nadine Clark (1968 to 1976). During his time in Vietnam, he was a captain and flew as a Defoliation, Refueling and Aeromedical Airlift Pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award twice, the Air Medal, a Purple Heart, two Vietnamese Foreign decorations and a Silver Star Medal. He retired as a major in the United States Air Force and then moved to Paradise, California, where he met and shared his life with his long-term companion, Mary Jane Ashe. He enjoyed fishing, camping, gold mining, boating, skiing and operated a small business selling kachinas and Native American jewelry as a hobby after retirement. Roy peacefully passed away on Jan. 17, 2015.

He is survived by daughters, Terri and David Enzmann, and Tammie McWilliams; 12 grandchildren, Justin and Taryn Jewett, Benjamin Jewett, Savannah and Matt Kandoll, Christopher Baker, Nicholas McWilliams, Jamie McWilliams, Bryant and Katie Cox, and Blane and Melissa Cox, Paige and Travis Shoemaker, Courtney Stoner, Janelle and Dane Johnson, and Jessica and Chad Trevisan; and 10 great-grandchildren, Kaleb and Brooklynn Jewett, Kailey, Aiden and Brielle McWilliams, Ashley Baker, Natalie Kandoll and Kai, Jude and Hudson Cox.

We want to thank Suzie and O.D. Willhite for all the support of our father in the last few years of his life and the Paradise Hospice organization. Memorial services to be held at 10:30 a.m. March 14 at the Mountain View Cemetery in Deming.