On July 3, 1931, in the Great State of New Jersey, David, was the 5th of 9 children born to Donald and Violetta Smith. They lived in the northern town of Summit, where his father ran a tailoring business and his mother was an opera singer and was musical composer. After the birth of their 7th child and in the midst of the depression era, the family sailed from New York City to his father’s native country of Jamaica. A country he would grow to love, and where he would eventually meet his beautiful life partner, Condecia Ionie, (Girlie).
In Jamaica, the family settled in the parish of St. Mary. He attended school in Annotto Bay, and would meet and marry the love of his life, Girlie as she is affectionately known. David would become passionate about his work in transportation. He first worked in the area of agricultural transportation for the non-profit company All Island Banana Growers Association (AIBGA), and he went on to work at Johnson’s Bus Company as Mr. Johnson’s “right hand man.” In addition to driving buses (especially his beloved bus, the Janet Marie), he learned how to do repair work and multitasked in order to keep the company running smoothly.
This work was important because transportation in rural Jamaica was vital to expanding people’s access to services, jobs and in assisting communities to increase their economic viability. He was known to give free rides to those that couldn’t afford their bus fare, he respected the elders, and there was reciprocal admiration between David and his community members. David also had a signature way he blew the horn when he was coming home, and people would line the road to wave at “Sada,” a nick name given him by the people.
He met and married the young and beautiful Ionie (Girlie) and out of that union two daughters were born, Janet Marie (Audrey) and Paula (Yvonne). David would eventually join most of his siblings and move back to America, this time, settling in Chicago. However, he did not care for the city and settled in the suburb of Evanston where his elder brother, Hodel, resided with his family. Within a few years, David established himself and brought up his wife and two children. Later two of his older children would also join the family.
David would attend Greer Technical Institute and become certified as an Industrial Machinery Mechanic. He was a supervisor at Colbert Packaging, where he was an expert in repairing German Heidelberg presses, and picked up yet another nick name, the Dark German. He worked 6 days a week, and was absent only once, that was in February of 1975 when his father died in Jamaica. He ended his 35-year career in Lake Forest, Illinois. In 1997, David and Ionie retired to their second home in Plantation, Florida. They thoroughly enjoyed their time together traveling (mostly back home to Jamaica), basking in the sun, delighting in their home, lush gardens, and the company of their neighbors and friends, old and new.
Again, on the 3rd day of the month—this time, November, exactly 88 years and 4 months from his birth, he transitioned this life. He leaves behind his lifelong, loving wife, Girlie, together for a total of 61 years, 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, two adopted daughters, 3 brothers and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family members and dear friends.
Though this is a solemn time, David would want everyone to lift a glass in celebration of life and laugh long and hard! Rest well, and we will carry on.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.forestlawnsouth.com for the Smith family.
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