Joseph Eugene Smith's Obituary
Lt. Col. Joseph E. Smith, USAF (Ret) of Granbury TX, born on March 19, 1932, passed away peacefully on January 16, 2011. With the exception of his Air Force career, Joe was a lifelong resident of the Metroplex. He grew up in Oak Cliff, graduating from Sunset High School in 1949 and North Texas State in 1954.He was preceded in death by parents Julius & Francis Smith, his second wife Janet (Diebel) Smith, and his daughter Pamela Jo Smith. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth (Liz), son Craig Smith (Kathy), daughter Jennifer Ellis (Matt) and his grandchildren Casey, Trey, Cole, Lynae, & Macy. He is also survived by Liz’ children Susan Schlossman (Jeff) and David Collins and Liz’ grandchildren Erin, David, and Mark. Joe served 22 years in the Air Force as a fighter pilot, flying the F-102 Interceptor most of his career, including several years as an instructor pilot. He also flew the F-86 and the T-28. Places he was stationed include Sherman TX, Madison WI, Newfoundland, Iceland, and Greece. He flew combat missions during the Vietnam War, while stationed in South Korea, the Philippians, and Thailand. After retiring from the Air Force in 1975, Joe worked as an executive for Continental Trailways and Hayes Leasing before settling into a 17 year newspaper career. For the Dallas Morning News, he delivered newspapers for a couple years, and then he managed delivery contractors and the rack shop, retiring in 1996. He and Liz moved to Granbury in the mid 1990’s. Joe performed home inspections part time during his retirement. Joe enjoyed telling stories, particularly from his Air Force days. He also enjoyed boating, cooking, and was an avid golfer. He really liked catching up with old friends by attending numerous fighter squadron reunions the last 15 years. One of his favorite things to do was to read the newspaper on his patio that overlooked Lake Granbury. Joe will be forever loved and deeply missed.
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