Obituary for John William Smith III
SMITH, JOHN WILLIAM III, age 90, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Saturday, July 2, 2022, at Crestwood Village Assisted Living.
A Memorial Service for John will take place on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Clark Family Funeral Chapel. A luncheon will immediately follow in the Reflections Reception Center. The family will receive friends on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. until the time of the service. Cremains will be interred at a later date at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Envelopes will be available at the funeral chapel.
John was born in Detroit, Michigan, January 25, 1932, the son of John and Evelyn (Tyler) Smith. He graduated from Cass Technical High School with the class of 1954, then earned his bachelor's degree from University of Detroit. John proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. He was wounded in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was a life member of the VFW and Disabled American Veterans. He started a career in Computer Science in 1964 at Honeywell and ended that career at Central Michigan University in 1991. John was active in the community and served 15 years as Commanding Officer for the Sea Cadets. John loved to tell stories and was a published author of the novel: Chosin Star: When Hell Froze Over.
John is survived by his wife Anna Smith of Mt. Pleasant; daughters Jessica (Frank) Lafata of Royal Oak, Krisanna (Mark) Kulak of Royal Oak, Marissa (Kenneth) Swartz of Clinton Twp., Carinna (Patrick) Sharrak of Royal Oak, and 10 grandchildren.
John was preceded in death by his parents; daughter Rebecca Lesser, and son-in-law Andy Lesser.
A Memorial Service for John will take place on Saturday, July 16, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Clark Family Funeral Chapel. A luncheon will immediately follow in the Reflections Reception Center. The family will receive friends on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. until the time of the service. Cremains will be interred at a later date at Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Envelopes will be available at the funeral chapel.
John was born in Detroit, Michigan, January 25, 1932, the son of John and Evelyn (Tyler) Smith. He graduated from Cass Technical High School with the class of 1954, then earned his bachelor's degree from University of Detroit. John proudly served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. He was wounded in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir and was awarded the Purple Heart. He was a life member of the VFW and Disabled American Veterans. He started a career in Computer Science in 1964 at Honeywell and ended that career at Central Michigan University in 1991. John was active in the community and served 15 years as Commanding Officer for the Sea Cadets. John loved to tell stories and was a published author of the novel: Chosin Star: When Hell Froze Over.
John is survived by his wife Anna Smith of Mt. Pleasant; daughters Jessica (Frank) Lafata of Royal Oak, Krisanna (Mark) Kulak of Royal Oak, Marissa (Kenneth) Swartz of Clinton Twp., Carinna (Patrick) Sharrak of Royal Oak, and 10 grandchildren.
John was preceded in death by his parents; daughter Rebecca Lesser, and son-in-law Andy Lesser.