Frank Smith

April 23, 1924 – March 24, 2010

Chapel Service

Greetings and welcome on behalf of the family of Frank Smith. The family is grateful for and comforted by your presence here this afternoon. My name is Bob Jordan; I’m a certified minister of the Gospel through my home church, Cedar Park Assembly, in Bothell. And like Frank, I’m a licensed engineer, and later in the service some of Frank’s fellow engineers and scientists will have an opportunity to share a remembrance of Frank. This will be a blessing to the family. And let us be mindful that our gathering today is to remember a husband, father, grandfather, co-worker, and friend. Let us remember happy times, fun times, encouraging times, and reflect on the life of a fortunate man, who was happily married, had a family, lived to see his children’s children, and had the respect of honorable men.

Frank was born on April 23, 1924 to Dr. Frank Calhoun and (Ledo) Ethel Cummings Smith. Frank was preceded in death by his father (b. 7/8/1872 – d. 7/8/1941) and his mother (b. 3/9/1885 – d. 6/11/1951), both of whom are buried at Arlington National Cemetery, his father being an Captain, US Army, and a medical doctor, and his mother a US Army nurse. Frank was the only child born from this marriage. Frank is survived by his wife of 61 years Marjorie Whitney Smith, by their three sons, Stuart Whitney Smith of Poulsbo, Washington, Owen Cooper Smith of Madison/Huntsville, Alabama, and Frank Cannon Smith of Newark, Delaware, and by multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Last November Marjorie called me and informed me that Frank was very ill and that he wanted to see me. I was in Shelton, Washington at a lunch break from a scheduled day of prison ministry, and advised Marjorie that I’d see Frank on the way home, which I did. Frank, being matter of fact, looked me in the eye and said he was dying due to a valve in his heart that was steadily closing and was inoperable. He then said he’d like for me to officiate at his service, which was my honor. Later at Mission Healthcare he pulled out his Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and asked if I’d read from this Book at his service, since it was the Book his mother had given to him and that he had kept all his life. The Book was well worn, and I told Frank it would be a privilege to use this Book during the service. I asked him not to rush me too much, and over the months from that visit I and my friends visited Frank both at the hospital and at the Mission Healthcare. Frank kept active, moving from one facility to the other, and even in the same facility moving from one room to another. Seems like most every time we went to see him he was in a new place! And now today we are gathered for an Episcopal Christian burial service.

Frank confided in me that the modern Book of Prayers didn’t meet with his approval. He said, “Bob, I’m pretty conservative and traditional, and I don’t like how some things have been modernized and changed.” Well, anyone who knows Frank knows he’s more than a bit conservative and knows he’s very traditional! I’ll share some more of my first couple of visits after a bit. The scriptures and prayers shared throughout this service are 100% from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, which I believe would please Frank and the Smith family.

Opening Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer – Remember thy servant, O Lord, according to the favor which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, he may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end, amen.

Hymn – In the Garden (Organist, Soloist)

About Frank – Born in Washington DC and raised on the east coast, Frank was just 17 when he lost his father and 27 when he lost his mother. Frank enlisted in the US Army and went to basic training in Camp Claiborne, in Louisiana. Frank was raised Episcopal by his parents, and was given the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer by his mother. The inscription reads “To my loving son Frank, from Mother.” It was dated April 23, 1943, his 19th birthday. Frank inscribed his own name in the front of the Book, Lt. Frank C. Smith, Camp Claiborne, LA, September, 1943. Stuart also has an inscription on one of the back pages of the book, which Frank duly noted!

Frank was an engineer, scientist, and analyst. He was also a fun guy to be around. Frank was honorably discharged from the Army in 1944 with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Frank was a graduate of Yale University, 1946, earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a licensed aeronautical engineer. Frank met and later married Marjorie Whitney in 1948, and this marriage produced three sons.

As an in-demand engineer Frank worked on numerous major projects for various Fortune 100 companies. Anyone who knows Frank knows that he has a pretty low tolerance for foolishness and lousy management decisions, so after years of working in larger corporations he set out on his own, founding Frank C. Smith Associates. It was when he was in this role that I met him and others gathered here today, including Steve Becka, Matt Reddy, John Williams, Fred Petri, Steve Foote, and many others. All of us are engineers and we were all working on advanced accelerometer programs. Frank was consulting to our company as an analyst.

In three different companies I worked I asked Frank to assist us, and he analyzed instruments, explained how to do analyses with my young engineering staffs, and generally came in and solved problems. I will miss my friend Frank. When at another company I asked Frank what his availability was he said, “Bob, I’m done consulting.” I couldn’t get him out of retirement, so that was that! In their married life Frank and Marjorie lived in Maryland, then Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, back to Texas, and finally settling in Washington, in 1983.

Scripture Reading – John 14:1-6 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Hymn – Nearer My God to Thee (Organist, Soloist)

Family Sharing

Scripture Reading – Stuart Smith, Frank’s son – 1 Corinthians 13

Scripture Reading – Carol Smith, Stuart’s wife – Psalm 23

Scripture Reading – Matt Smith, Stuart and Carol’s son, Frank’s grandson – John 11:20-27

Eulogy – Owen Smith, Frank Smith – Frank’s sons

Congregational Remembrance – Memories and stories about Frank

Message – Winning the Last Fight, 1 Corinthians 15:20-25 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Paul the apostle wrote these words, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the Church at Corinth. Then, like now, people had questions. Where did I come from, why am I here, where am I going, what happens after death, why does there have to be death and sorrow? Paul addresses these questions in what is know as the Great Resurrection Chapter in the Bible, First Corinthians chapter 15. Paul speaks as to why the Resurrection of Christ is important.

The resurrection of Jesus is important for several reasons. It bears witness to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists, and if He created the universe and has power over it, He has power to raise the dead. If He does not have such power, He is not a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the heartache that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s. In resurrecting Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

The resurrection of Jesus is a testimony to the resurrection of human beings, which is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. Unlike all other faith systems, Christianity alone possesses a founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same. All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave. As Christians, we take comfort in the fact that our God became man, the Son of God died for our sins, and was resurrected the third day as he foretold. The grave could not hold Him. He lives, and the Bible testifies that he sits today at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

In this Great Resurrection Chapter Paul explains in detail the importance of the resurrection of Christ. Like now, some in Corinth did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in this chapter Paul gives six resultants if there were no resurrection:

1) preaching Christ would be senseless – no point!

2) faith in Christ would be useless– no power!

3) all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars – no truth!

4) no one would be redeemed from sin – no atonement!

5) all former believers would have perished – no eternal life!

6) Christians would be the most miserable people on the earth – no hope or purpose!

But Christ indeed has risen from the dead and “has become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep,” assuring that we will follow Him in resurrection.

The inspired Word of God guarantees the believer's resurrection at the coming of Jesus Christ. The believer has hope and assurance. Later in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul writes, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Over 500 persons witnessed the resurrection of Christ, according to this same beloved chapter of the Bible.

The resurrection is the triumphant and glorious victory for every believer. Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day according to the Scripture. And, He is coming again! The dead in Christ will be raised up, and those who remain and are alive at His coming will be changed and receive new, glorified bodies. Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important to salvation? It demonstrated that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It proves that God has the power to raise us from the dead. It guarantees that those who believe in Christ will not remain dead, but will be resurrected unto eternal life. That is our blessed hope! That was Frank’s hope. That is the hope of the Believer.

When Marjorie called me in late November I was with a team of Christian ministers who, with me, volunteer in the prison system. I shared with them that my friend was ill, that I just talked with his wife, and would be seeing my friend later that evening. They all wanted to pray for Frank, and there at the hamburger stand six men bowed their heads to remember someone who was important to me and to pray. These same men had also been praying for my and Frank’s friend Steve Becka as his father was in the hospital while Frank was in the hospital.

Frank was asleep when I came in, so I just sat down and did a little reading, then he awoke and smiled and we talked and visited. This is when Frank told me the medical report, and his desire for me to officiate at his service. Frank and Marjorie had always been supporters and encouragers of me on my annual prison missionary trips to Africa and India. Indeed I had just returned from India two weeks prior to Marjorie’s call.

Frank was always a straight shooter, and while we were sitting there on that first visit I asked Frank about his faith in Christ Jesus the Lord. Frank comes from a generation that kept many of these matters private. As I spoke with him he affirmed his faith in Christ. I asked about his belief in the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the Resurrection, and the salvation by grace message of the Bible. Frank solidly affirmed this, and with his own words told me of his faith in Christ. The words of the Scriptures were going through my mind, about calling upon the name of the Lord to be saved, and about the ever present ministry of the Holy Spirit. I asked if I could lay my hands on his shoulder and pray before I left, and he said he’d like that. So we prayed together, and many times thereafter we had a word of prayer together. It’s at times like this that I marvel at the ministry of the Holy Spirit of God, being a comfort to the infirm and visiting the sick with His presence.

As we approach Easter Sunday, let us be mindful of this – that Christ is indeed risen from the dead. And the Bible says that because he lives, we can live also. The Bodily Resurrection of Christ, and then of the dead at the Second Coming of Christ, is a foundational teaching within the orthodox Christian Church. The Old Book is clear – death is an enemy, but we win this last fight. For now there are tears, there is pain, there is sorrow. Frank used to drag one of his legs, at the end his shoulder was in great pain, and other pains he experienced were most uncomfortable. The Bible gives us comfort, in that in heaven God shall wipe away every tear, and death, pain, and sorrow will be no more. Today, in my minds eye, I can see Frank, walking upright, briskly, with a healthy body, no glasses, head full of hair, all of his teeth, maybe even eating an ice cream Sundae with no calories!

We will have a graveside service immediately following the service. There will be light refreshments here at the chapel after the Graveside service. Let us bow in prayer together.

Closing Prayer from the Common Book of Prayer – O God, whose mercies cannot be numbered; Accept our prayers on behalf of the soul of thy servant departed, and grant him an entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of thy saints; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Unto God’s gracious mercy and protection we commit to you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you, and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

Hymn – On Eagles Wings (Organist, Soloist)

Funeral director comes forward, instructs the pallbearers. Casket is removed from the chapel with the minister leading the procession, followed by the casket, followed by Mrs. Smith escorted by her grandson Matt Smith.

Graveside Service

Pallbearers

Stewart Smith – son

Owen Smith – son

Frank Smith – son

Steve Becka – friend, engineer

Matt Reddy – friend, engineer

Wolf Schunter – friend, engineer

Hymn – Christian Inspirational (Bagpipes)

Jesus said, All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast our. He that raised up Jesus from the dead will also quicken our mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in us. Wherefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. Thou shalt show me the path of life; in thy presence is the fullness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure forever more.

Scripture Reading, Matthew Smith – Psalms 121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer – Unto Almighty God we commend the soul of our brother departed Frank, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world – the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself. And Lord teach us to pray, according to the Lord’s Prayer (all pray together),

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

For thine is the kingdom, and then power, and the glory, for ever and ever, amen.

Flag Presentation – US Flag presented to Mrs. Frank Smith on behalf of the US Military in recognition of Frank’s military service. Lt. Campbell, Honor Guard team leader. Taps played.

Hymn – Going Home (Bagpipes)

Refreshments and fellowship immediately following the service at the chapel.

Order of the Episcopal service prepared by Bob Jordan, Stuart Smith, Owen Smith, Frank Smith, and approved by Marjorie Smith!