Ronald L. Smith

Captain Ronald L. Smith, USNR (Ret) was a lifelong resident of Omaha, Nebraska. He is preceded in death by his parents, Obed W. and Marguerite A. Smith; his daughter, Sheryl Lynn; and his older brother, Obed Jr.

Ron attended North High School in Omaha where he met his loving wife, Carolyn. They married in September of 1955. He graduated from Iowa State University in 1956 with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He entered active duty in the U.S. Navy and served in Panama and Japan. In Panama he was a Surface Warfare Officer (ship’s Engineering Officer). In Japan he was a Docking Officer where he executed complicated dry docking operations for vessels ranging from aircraft carriers to the occasional cruise ship. The remainder of his 37 year naval career was spent as an Engineering Duty Officer in the reserve where he achieved the rank of Captain providing valuable leadership in shipyards from Bremerton, Washington to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. While in the naval reserve, Ron pursued a civilian career in engineering. He worked as a Design Engineer and Engineering Manager for Campbell’s Soup before he found his professional home with the Quaker Oats Company. Employed at the Omaha furfural plant, he worked his way from Engineering & Maintenance Manager to Plant Superintendent to Plant Manager. Eventually he was assigned responsibilities for an additional plant in Iowa. He maintained these responsibilities despite multiple ownership changes of the company.

Ron’s hobbies and interests were split between travel, outdoor sports, and DIY auto/home restoration. He enjoyed scuba diving in Hawaii, Cozumel, and Florida as well as camping, fishing, hiking and waterskiing in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. An active outdoorsman, he loved snow skiing in Colorado and Utah. He single-handedly restored two homes from the ground up and forgot more about automobiles than most people will ever know. He was a dedicated father who served as a Scoutmaster and little league baseball coach.

Ron is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Shirley; his two sons, Ron II (Denise) and Russ (Kitty). He is also survived by his two grandchildren, Sydney and Michael. He will be deeply missed by those that knew and loved him.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 12 at Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home. Burial will be held privately with immediate family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at westlawnhillcrest.com for the Smith family.