Edward Smith, Gone too Soon at Age 93

There are times when it is impossible to apologize for a mistake. Now is such a time, although the man to whom it ought to be made is gone. You see, Edward T. Smith, 93, of Court House, passed away Jan. 20, 2013. The subject of my Dec. 5 column was the slipping from the nation’s collective memory of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Edward T. Smith, the Court House man, whom I incorrectly referred to as James.
He was most gracious about the mistake, and even penned a short note agreeing that, in time, few would likely remember the terrible attack by the Japanese on the U.S. Navy base that led to the U.S. entry into World War II. Then he reminded me his name was Edward, not James.
Unless you are or have been a newspaper editor, you cannot fathom the impact such a mistake has. Although I had known Ed for many years, talked with him, interviewed him, for some reason in my mind the day I wrote the column, he was that other name. Now, it’s like his name has been burnished in my brain as names are chiseled in stone, never to be changed.
Sadly, the column was the last one written about the man who survived Pearl Harbor, noted his grandson Staff Sgt. Ryan Smith.
Enough of errors and regrets, Court House, Middle Township, Cape May County and New Jersey have lost an incredible man, who was a true inspiration to me and many others.
A member of Our Lady of the Angels Church, Edward reportedly got a laugh out of the column “and added it to his collection,” wrote Ryan.
He suffered a massive stroke Jan. 16 while lifting his wife of 66 years, Josephine, who had fallen from bed. It was only a few days prior I’d seen him getting his mail, walking at a fast clip.
An Army veteran of World War II and Pearl Harbor survivor, he was in that place because, at 22, he was an undefeated welterweight boxer stationed “in Pearl.”
Many knew and admired Edward Smith, wondering where he got is energy. He loved to shadowbox to show youngsters that art, wrote Ryan. He also loved to challenge his doctors to races when they would suggest further tests “be run” on him.
Perhaps some of his strength and stamina over life’s rocky road came from attending daily Mass at Our Lady of the Angels Church since the Smiths moved to the Cape May County seat in 1987.
Wrote Ryan of his beloved grandfather, “His life was something out of a movie.” He met Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1927, and had them sign his ball. He also raised his brother and sisters from age 15, added Ryan to the feats of this incredible gentleman.
“From being called to a war from which he left many detailed stories: shooting down a plane in Pearl Harbor with a rifle, walking past Mussolini’s body hung in the center of town in Italy to name a few,”
Ryan continued.
The day Smith returned home from the war, he and his bride wed. He worked in New York City for 45 years, and never missed a day. He raised his family, and then retired to this area.
“He was a humble man that loved life and all people around him and anyone he met remembers him well,” wrote Ryan. “…Even at 93, a life taken too soon.”
Edward Thomas Smith is survived by his wife, Josephine; his son, Edward C. Smith (Maryalice); and his grandsons, Ryan M. and Mark E. (Janine).
Funeral Mass was said on Jan. 23 at Our Lady of the Angels Church. Interment was in the Cape May County Veterans’ Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ed’s memory may be made to Our Lady of the Angels Church.