Joseph Homer Smith, 91, of Montgomery, passed away Tuesday, February 18, 2025 in Huntsville, AL. Joe was born in 1934 on a farm in Lewistown, MO during the Great Depression. Joe moved to Blandinsville, IL when he was 14 and graduated as class valedictorian in 1952.
Joe joined the Air Force in January of 1953 and served four years at various locations as a radar operator. His enlistment was up in January of 1957 and he left Tacoma, WA to return home to Illinois where he found work at an electronics factory in Burlington, IA. He soon decided that wasn’t for him and drove back to Tacoma in the fall of 1957, looked around for work, then decided to reenlist. A few years and assignments later, he met his future wife, Carol, while stationed at Kalispell Air Station near Lakeside, MT. They married in 1961, had two kids and spent the next two decades serving their country. They finally settled in Montgomery, AL in the early 1980s. In all, Joe spent 30 years on active duty serving in the states, Korea, Iceland and Belgium through a total of 16 assignments and locations. He retired as an E-9/Chief Master Sergeant in January of 1984.
After military retirement, Joe worked as a private contractor/handyman and ran a pest control franchise for the next 15 years, eventually dropping the pest control and only doing private contract work. He finally took a knee in the late 2010s. Joe was known for his unique blend of stoicism and gregariousness, and he could build and fix most anything.
Joe’s wife preceded him in death in 2023. He is survived by his daughter, Kelly Smith Foshee (Mark) and their children, Morgan Foshee Barnes (Taylor) and Kendall Foshee Williams (Brady); and son, Doug Smith (Sharla) and their children, Rachael Smith, Austin Smith (Maisie), Adam Smith (Taegen) and Lily Smith Larson (Brock). He was especially delighted with his great-grandchildren Brodie Barnes and Kohen Smith.
The family conducted a private and intimate service and will spread his ashes in Montana with his wife’s ashes.
