Kenneth Paul and Gladys G. Smith

Kenneth Paul (Stephens) Smith 12/2020 & Gladys G. Smith 11/2016

IN MEMORIAM

Ken was born to Verna in Allentown and lived with her until she was hospitalized. He then lived with relatives, visited his mom on weekends and graduated from Northampton High School after her death. Later he was drafted into WWII and he served in the US Army 11th Airborne division until he was honorably discharged.

Ken was nicknamed 'Fearless' by a friend and was also a man of great faith. He had many talents. Ken was primarily self-employed although he did work and volunteer for various businesses and organizations, mostly in the ABE area. Ken's goals were to live life to the fullest, donate his body to science and one day meet his maker.

Gladys, Ken's wife and business partner when needed, shared his interest in local history and preserving it. Gladys also was a person who had many talents and often volunteered at church. However, Gladys stated that she wanted her rhododendron plants to be her legacy.

During her last year of life Gladys visited relatives in KY and VA thanks to emergency personnel who transported her from a hotel to a ER during a snow storm thus saving her life. Her next ambulance ride was due to a fall at the same hotel about 8 months later. She apparently got off the elevator at the wrong floor and was probably trying to turn around with her walker when she fell onto a carpeted hallway. Gladys never returned to either the hotel or her home after that fall despite being previously approved for a knee surgery that never happened. After her fall, she was required to wear a neck brace that was not removed for months until she was transported from a rehabilitation nursing home to another hospital in Allentown. Thus she was denied showers and haircuts and regular shampoos since her August 2016 fall until her November 2016 death.

We can be thankful however that Ken and Gladys were quite healthy and active and did not require daily medications prior to their final hospitalizations. Ken voted in person for the presidential election of 2020 and attended an in person doctor consult in Phila. weeks later. Gladys died with a full set of her natural teeth.

If Ken and Gladys had had their recommended surgeries maybe this memoriam wouldn't exist or maybe they would have died from medical errors anyway. Medical errors are high in the list of leading causes of death in the US. Only better communication can drastically reduce errors.

Ken and Gladys left behind several generations of family members including two daughters and many unanswered questions.