Harold Jacob Smith

Harold Jacob Smith, 78, from Jacksonville, FL, passed away on December 29, 2017, after a year long battle with cancer. Funeral services to be scheduled and will be held at the Old Post Chapel at Fort Myer, Virginia. Interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery. Harold was born February 13, 1939, to James Harvey and Donnie Smith of Ellenboro, NC. Harold joined the army in 1958 at the age of 19. His 20 year service included: In October, 1961, he found himself face to face with Russian Tanks at the Berlin Wall, (his photo is in the Newseum in DC, ground floor). During his first tour to Vietnam, August 1967, he was a pilot of a single engine airplane at Gia Nghia. His second tour in 1970 was at Long Thanh North where he piloted the Twin Turboprop Aircraft. In total, Harold flew over 900 missions and more than 1700 combat flight hours. His service also included three years in Vicenza, Italy, flying fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft over Europe, Greece and Turkey. After retiring in 1978, Harold became a successful realtor in Northern Virginia working until 2005 when he retired to Jacksonville, FL to pursue golf, diving, cooking and traveling the world. His latest adventures included New Zealand and Australia to dive the Great Barrier Reef; three weeks in South Africa which included safaris at Kruger National Park and Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge; and a week in Provence to celebrate Hope's birthday. Harold is known for his love of family, friends, travel and life itself. He will be dearly missed by his family and many friends. He is survived by his wife Hope Evans; his son, Michael Smith of Boyds, MD, his daughter, Carol Smith of Ellenboro, NC, two step-sons Ted Evans and wife Claire of Seattle, WA, and Rocky Evans and wife Ansley of Washington, DC. He has four grandchildren, Angela, Melissa, Leslie and Robert Suttle, five great-grandchildren, Aiden and Kelsey Lynch, Henry Strickland, and Blake and Noah Suttle. Harold has four surviving siblings, James Smith and wife Nelly and Charles Smith and wife Peggy, both of Ellenboro, NC, Margaret (Smith) Hamrick of Gastonia, NC and Judy (Smith) Gordon and husband Winford of Caroleen, NC. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Kenneth Smith and Walter Smith, both from Ellenboro, NC. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.storkefuneralhome.com.