Howard Patrick Smith

Howard Patrick Smith, Sr. WW II Veteran, Beloved Husband and Father Howard Patrick Smith, Sr., 94, of Cranford, NJ, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 13th, 2014. Visitation will be held on Monday, Feb. 17th, from 2-4 pm and 7-9 pm at Gray Memorial Funeral Home, 12 Springfield Ave. Cranford, NJ. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday Feb. 18th at St. Theresa's Church in Kenilworth, NJ., followed by burial in St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia. Born in Bayonne, NJ on August 4, 1919, Howard completed high school and joined the Marines in 1937. After serving four years he received an honorable discharge in May of 1941. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army and served with valor as an infantry Sergeant in the Pacific Theater. He saw combat at the battles of Guadalcanal and Guam, and was awarded the Bronze Battle Star and the Purple Heart for wounds suffered on Guam.After the war, Howard married Jeanette M. Schneller, also of Bayonne. He became a welder at theExxon Refinery in Bayonne, where we worked throughout his career. He and Jeanette moved theiryoung family to Rahway, and eventually made their home in Cranford in 1959. There they their raised five children. A dedicated and loving husband and father, Howard and Jeanette remained married for over 67 years, until Jeanette's passing in December of 2012. He enjoyed swimming, walking his dogs and was an avid car buff. Howard was very active in the community, serving at various times as Scoutmaster, Rahway Recreational Softball and Baseball Coach, Orange Avenue Community Pool Swim Team Coach, andWestfield YMCA Diving Coach. He also taught welding at Bayonne Technical School. He was a long time member of the VFW and Military Order of the Purple Heart. Howard believed in giving back, especially to veterans, and devoted a great deal of his retirement time as a regular volunteer at the Veteran's Hospitals at Lyons and East Orange. Howard is survived by his five children and their spouses: Howard Jr. and Joan Smith, Janet and Dennis Hemenway, Marcelline and Bob Poirier, Mark and Jane Smith and Sharon and Daryl Little, as well as 17 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Howard P. Smith, Sr. to the Palliative Care Division of the VA NJ Health Care System, Lyons Campus, Voluntary Service Office (135), 151 Knollcroft Rd., Lyons, NJ 07939 .