EDWARD "EDDIE" JOSEPH SMITH , loving husband, father and grandfather, resident of Addison, Texas, passed away on Monday, September 23 in Dallas, Texas, due to sepsis resulting from kidney failure. He was 85 years old. Born on March 23, 1939, in San Diego, California, to Joseph Patrick Smith and Rose Mae Cerny Smith and known in his childhood as "Skipper," Eddie was raised as an only child by his mother in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. As a teenager, Eddie worked as a movie usher, which allowed him to view his all-time favorite film, Rebel Without a Cause, over 30 times. After graduating from Hastings-on-Hudson High School (at which he was president of the student Opera Club, organizing field trips to NYC's Metropolitan Opera), Eddie completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Graphic Design at Michigan State University, home of the Spartans. (Not coincidentally, Eddie had another endearing nickname in his later years: "Spartacus".)

After college, Eddie joined the United States Air Force. While stationed in Sacramento, CA, Eddie met and married his first wife, Bonnie. (A highlight of his Sacramento service was a 24-hour airborne stint during the Cuban Missile Crisis.) Eddie was then reassigned to Glasgow AFB in Montana, joining the 13th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. He served in the second seat as navigator on numerous patrol missions of the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo Interceptor. As a sidelight, Eddie was known to grab his guitar and sing Everly Brothers duets with his fellow airmen. Near the end of his Air Force service in 1965, Eddie's first son, Joseph, was born. After receiving his discharge, Eddie and Bonnie proceeded on a cross-country tour in the first of Eddie's many Corvettes to introduce their parents to their new grandchild.

Soon, Eddie settled his family in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where his second son, Jeffrey, was born in 1967. He worked at several jobs during this period, including a couple of memorable years as a salesman of Beechcraft private airplanes, based out of Addison airport. Other career stops included Coit International and Control Data Institute. In the early 1980s he become the proud owner of his own business, Freedom Knits, a fabric manufacturer.

Around this time, Eddie met and married his second wife, Jeanne, who soon after gave birth to twin children, Joshua and Jessica. During this time Eddie participated in local league soccer, distinguishing himself as a goalie. He also became serious about long-distance running, completing several White Rock Marathons and Dallas' annual Turkey Trot. Concurrently, he became dedicated to a weightlifting regime that lasted nearly to the end of his life.

Eddie then began a distinguished career at Lawson Products as a warehouse manager. Lawson sent Eddie to locations such as Atlanta and Reno to ensure the successful openings of new warehouses in those cities. It was in Reno that Eddie married his third wife, Donna Marie, who shared his passion for nature hikes and line dancing. They later returned to Texas and bought a home together in Addison.

During his Lawson years, Eddie became involved with local league baseball, reigniting an old love of that game as he perfected his skills in pitching and playing third base against men half his age. He played for the Caribeños in Dallas, and then after retirement joined a Senior League team in California that won three Senior League World Championships.

An ongoing theme in Eddie's life was his love for auto-racing and, in particular, the Chevrolet Corvette. Eddie owned a long series of them, and even served as president of the Corvette Club of Texas in the early 1970s. He once visited the Corvette manufacturing plant in Lexington, KY, and just a few years ago owned three at one time.

Edward J. Smith is survived by his wife, Donna Marie Smith, and his children: Joseph, Joshua and Jessica Smith. (Son Jeffrey Smith was deceased in 2018.) As father-in-law, he will be missed by Tammy, Courtney, Bobby and Kathryn. He was also proud grandfather to Emma Rose, Natalie, Ryleigh, Carter, Jackson, Grayson, Harper and Sutton.

A Graveside Veteran Memorial will be held for Eddie on Tuesday, October 1st at 10am. The location is DFW National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Pkwy, Dallas, TX 75211. Honorary pall bearers will be Joseph Smith, Joshua Smith, Bobby Kivlin and Carter Smith.