James R. Smith's Obituary
James Russell Smith was born December 8, 1930 in Clifton Forge,
Virginia and passed away on April 11, 2020 in Sulphur Springs,
Texas. He is preceded in death by his parents, David and Ester
Smith and his siblings: David Smith, Suzanne Estep, Jane Ryan,
William Smith, Doris Humphries, Martha Steepleton and Richard
Smith. He is survived by his children: Janet Young and husband,
Barry; Don Smith and wife, Toko; Karen Dodgen and husband,
Robert; and grandchildren: Jonathon Smith, Samantha Dodgen and
Chelsea Dodgen. During the Korean Conflict, he served in the US
Air Force at Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas. While there he met
his wife, Marlene at the local USO, and they were married in 1953.
When he returned to civilian life, he attended Gannon College in
Erie, Pennsylvania and received a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Upon graduation, he worked on the Apollo Space program for
General Electric in Daytona Beach, Florida. After moving to the
Dallas area, he was on the design team that developed an optical
recognition system for the US Post Office. Later in his career, he
designed and tested heat resistant power supplies for the space
shuttle and missile programs. His career spanned the evolution of
electronics from vacuum tubes to hybrid integrated circuits. Jim and
Marlene enjoyed dancing and were active members of the Jeans &
Queens Square Dance Club in Plano, Texas. He also enjoyed
watching the Dallas Cowboys and listening to the Texas Rangers
games on the radio. He always put his family first and loved
spending time with his grandchildren.
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