Richard T. Smith

Richard T. Smith Monday, October16, 2023, our husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather peacefully passed away with his family by his side after a prolonged illness. Richard Thomas Smith was born December 15,1940 in Morristown, New Jersey. As a young boy he and his family left New Jersey and moved to Riverside, California. Excelling in math and science, Richard graduated from Upland High School in 1958. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Navy. After two years he made the decision to enlist in the Air Force realizing more opportunities for the training and career path he wanted in electronics and engineering. While in the Air Force, Richard was stationed in Texas, Colorado, and finally at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas. It was there he met his future and present wife, Diana. They celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary September 23rd of this year. During his time of service, he was in the Strategic Air Command and the Cuban Missile Crisis under President John F. Kennedy. After four years in the Air Force, six total in the military, Richard entered civilian life and had a brief career in finance and banking. His next career change was with a concrete pipe manufacturing company as a yard foreman. This was the beginning of a lengthy career spanning decades and retiring as a vice president in the engineering department.

Richard loved his family. He coached his son’s baseball teams to championships for a number of years and his daughter in track and cross country. He was known for his quick wit, wisdom, and colorful parables thought up for his kids to live by. He was compassionate, giving, and fiercely protective of his three granddaughters. Over a lot of pizza every week, a close bond formed between grandfather and grandson, Josh. Richard’s four-year-old twin great-grandsons never ceased to put a twinkle in his eye whenever he saw them. His faith in Christ is what sustained Richard during his treatments for cancer. He had emphysema and lived on oxygen daily. This faith in Christ gave him the strength to continue the fight to live for his family. In the end the complications from Covid and Pneumonia were too much.

Richard was preceded in death by his father, Richard John and mother, Mary. He is survived by wife, Diana, daughter, Tamara Escudero, son, Richard Jr. and wife Sherrie, son-in-law Jose Escudero; grandchildren, Halie Greene and husband Clayson, Mikhayla Smith, Tatiana Escudero, Joshua Escudero, Kody Lewis and great-grandsons Lincoln and Camdyn Greene. Richard would like everyonetoknowthathewas a Christian, a Patriot, and of courseanOUSoonerfan.But to those of us who loved him he was GEEDAD. Our family wants to thank Dr. Bradley Jones for his excellent care and for never giving up and the staff of Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Irving for their patience and kindness.

Funeral ser vices were held, Thursday, October 26, 2023, at the First Methodist Church in Irving, TX. Visitation was Wednesday, October 25th at the Colonial Funeral Home, 606 West Airport Freeway, Irving, TX. Burial will be at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery at a later date. Services are under the direction of the Colonial Funeral Home in Irving, TX.