Robert H. Smith Jr.

SMITH Capt. ROBERT H. SMITH, JR. (Age 86) Died February 28, 2012, at his home in Coral Gables, FL. Bob was born April 9, 1925, in the Panama Canal Zone. His parents were CAPT Robert H. Smith, Sr. (USNA "20) and Frances Bresnahan Smith. Bob lived in the Washington, D.C. area on and off from 1931, during his Father's service there and later his own, until 2007. He graduated from the Naval Academy in the Class of 1947 with the 24th Company. He was Captain of the Varsity golf team, and maintained a single-digit handicap well into his seventies. His Navy career was principally in surface and anti-submarine warfare and included tours in INGRAHAM (DD-694), SARSFIELD (DD-837), as XO of NEW (DD-818), and in command of WILKINSON (DL-5). From 1968 to 1971 he was Chief of Staff for Analysis for the Commander, ASW Forces, Pacific, from which posting he retired, and for which he received the Legion of Merit. After his retirement, Bob continued to work for many years in the defense consulting field in Honolulu and in Northern Virginia as a leading authority in the field of anti-submarine warfare. He was a thoughtful and forceful advocate for the U.S. Navy. He wrote frequently for the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, including four essays which won USNI Foundation gold medals. He was also a passionate reader of literature and poetry. His memory was extraordinary, and he regularly quoted his favorite poems, from John Donne to A.E. Housman to Edna St. Vincent Millay. One of Bob's dreams was to be a contestant on Jeopardy! He was one of 20 finalists out of 2,000 in the Miami tryouts, and never quit grumbling about why he wasn't contacted, since he was obviously smarter than most of the ones on each evening! In addition, he was a committed writer of fiction, and produced many short stories and several novels. He edited and published the non-fiction work of several other authors, publishing much of his work and that of others under the imprint he founded, Ancient Mariners Press. Bob was married for 42 years to Athena Plastas Smith, who predeceased him in 1994. They had a wonderful marriage, traveled the world and had four children together along the way. Later, he had the great good fortune to meet and marry the loving companion of his last years, Winifred Smith. They enjoyed many adventures together and settled in Coral Gables in 2007. Bob is survived by his son Robert III and by daughters Brooke , Siobhan, and Victoria , as well as by his step-daughter Jennifer , two grandchildren and two step-grandchildren, all of whom love and admire him, and will remember him all of their lives. His remains will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date, still to be determined. In lieu of flowers those who wish to do so, may make a contribution in Bob's memory to the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.