John William Smith

John William Smith (JW) - 88, longtime resident of Louisville, Kentucky. After visits from his five children he accepted it was time to take the final journey home. John died peacefully in his sleep of natural causes on October 23, 2015 at Mercy Sacred Heart Village.

John, a full blooded country boy, was born October 3rd, 1927 in Manton, Kentucky, the fourth of nine children of Joseph Patrick Smith and Mary Cassie Murphy. He attended public school in Manton through eighth grade, migrating to Louisville with his family in 1943 at the age of 16. He helped his father at the St. Thomas Orphanage in Anchorage KY as caretakers.

John married Angela Therese Jolley on June 30, 1951 at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, moving to St Lawrence Parish area in 1959, where he resided for 51 years. He was always an active member and volunteer at St. Lawrence Parish. John lived, worked and volunteered his time less than 50 miles from where he was born with the exception of his Army Service in Kyoto, Japan near the end of WWII.

He was an active member of the St Lawrence Men’s Club, and proudly fried the chicken for the annual parish picnic each summer for many, many years, and the Bishop David High School Falcon Booster Club, where he ran the kitchen at the weekly bingo for many years. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, building and fixing things, gardening, family reunions, visits to the old family farm and sports. He was an avid Kentucky Wildcat fan from the basketball heyday of the 1950’s. He loved talking to his two Granddaughters, Alexa and Taylor, and hearing about their achievements.

He was employed in Louisville at Fawcett Haynes Printing Corp. from 1945 to 1972, then at Potlach Printing and Southern Standard Printing from 1972 to 1989 as a pressman, retiring September,1989. In retirement he became an avid country dancer and traveled around the local area for any chance to dance. He also took up golf and traveled to visit family, taking full enjoyment of his active retirement years.

In the summer of 2010, he moved to Mercy Sacred Heart Village Nursing home in the Clifton Neighborhood of eastern Louisville. There he became well known among the staff and residents thru daily trips around the facility in his wheelchair, wearing either his black Stetson cowboy hat from his country dancing days or one of his many UK baseball hats. He was the UK representative in the annual Derby Parade at the facility, very proudly carrying a National Championship sign in 2012. He was regularly honored at veterans celebrations there as well. He enjoyed trips to The Comfy Cow to get Bourbon Ball ice cream with his family and with the other residents of SHV during summer outings, Sunday "walks" in his wheelchair through the neighborhood when the days were warm and sunny, visits to his old neighborhood in the Southend, sometimes to get fish at O'Bryans or fried chicken at Meltons (two of his favorite things) and Sunday family dinners to celebrate birthdays, holidays and visitors from out of town. We thank the staff of Sacred Heart Village for taking care of John in his last years.

John is preceded in death by, Sisters: Elizabeth Irene, (husbands Art Stubberfield and Lynn Myers); Francis Thelma, (husband Charles) Kayse; Brother Joseph “Buddy” (wife Anita) , Brothers-in law: Johnny Brown, Don Miller, Ronald Long, Sister-in-Law: Betty Smith, Grandson Joshua (son of Edward & Dena Patrick) Smith and former wife Angela Therese Jolley.

He is survived by daughters: Susan Smith Kennedy (Dan), Lori Smith (former partner Kevin Metker); sons: Edward “Ed” (former spouse Dena Patrick), Anthony “Tony” (Anna), Gary (Cheri); granddaughters Alexandra (fiancée Markus Schneider) and Taylor, grandsons Brian Kennedy (Sarah) and Danny Kennedy, and soon-to-be great-grandson, Jadon Schneider; Sisters Ruby Brown, Shirley Miller, Sara Long; Brothers Thomas "Tommy" (Vivian) and Fred (former spouse Lisa Skier), several cousins and many, many (many) nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

A Life Celebration will be held on Friday, October 30, 2015 at 12 noon, at the Arch L. Heady at Resthaven Chapel, 4400 Bardstown Road with interment in Resthaven Memorial Park. A gathering of family and friends for visitation will be on Thursday from 2-8 p.m. and on Friday after 9 a.m. at the funeral home.

In Lieu of flowers, send memorial donations to Holy Cross High School or St. Lawrence Catholic Church or VFW Highlands Post on Bardstown Rd.