Benjamin Gainer Smith III, 67, of Sandy Springs, GA, passed away peacefully at Northside Hospital Gwinnett on Sunday, April 5th 2026 after a courageous battle with multiple health issues. Gainer was born on April 28, 1958 at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, GA. He was the oldest son of the late Benjamin Gainer Smith II (B.G.) and Alice Miller Smith.
Gainer was quite the history buff and was very knowledgeable in multiple subjects, including building reenactments of World War II. Additionally, he loved riding his motorcycle. As a young teen, Gainer began playing the guitar and from there music became his lifelong passion. While pursuing music, Gainer attended Oglethorpe University where he studied architectural drafting. He later changed careers including Computer Science and then became a service writer in the auto industry.
In his young adulthood, Gainer was a founding member and original composer of popular local Atlanta heavy metal band, US Steele, from 1981 to 1986. As a masterful lead guitarist, US Steele made its debut opening for multiple well known bands around Atlanta’s music scene. A devoted family man, Gainer retired from US Steele in 1987 to care for his children while continuing to compose music from home.
A devoted father and grandfather to his three children and four granddaughters, Gainer will be greatly missed by all of his family and friends. We take peace in knowing that his loving Heavenly Father has a magnificent home prepared for him, where he is reunited with his parents and loved ones that preceded him in death including his father, Benjamin Gainer Smith II and mother Alice Miller Smith. Gainer is survived by his brother Cary Smith, daughter Stephanie Smith Barfoot and her husband Bryan Barfoot and their daughter Quinn Barfoot, son Joseph Gainer Smith and his wife Brittany Smith and their daughters Evelyn and Nora Smith, son Allen Smith and his wife Raleigh Smith and their daughter Eden Smith.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Wounded Warrior Project or Samaritan’s Purse.
A memorial service followed by a reception will be Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 11 o'clock at H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.
