Thomas Reed Smith

1957~2015

Thomas Reed Smith of Wilmington, Delaware, was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on December 6, 1957, the son of Elizabeth Josephine Hawkins Smith and William Reed Smith. He died May 3, 2015, at age 57. Toms family moved to College Station, Texas, where his father headed the Psychology Department at Texas A&M and his mother worked in television broadcasting and theater. Tom was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the faith of his immediate family and ancestors.

Toms father was a Commander in the Navy, and on Sunday evenings, cadets from Texas A&M were invited to family dinner before leaving for service in Vietnam. His fathers military service instilled in Tom a lifelong respect for our veterans and their sacrifice to our country. He graduated from A&M Consolidated High School, where he played football and baseball, and became a loyal Aggies fan. He graduated from the University of Utah in Finance. Happy memories for Tom included playing and performing in his rock band with Bill Boswell and friends in his late teens and early twenties. Throughout his life, he played his guitar, cello, or the piano with enthusiasm and passion.

Tom began his career working for Morgan Stanley in San Francisco and New York. After marrying Suzanne Lauer, he became the proud father of two childrenEric Thomas Smith and Madeleine Suzanne Smithwho have developed their talents and followed their passions in becoming an accomplished musician and artist. His family moved to the Philadelphia area, where Tom worked as an entrepreneur. Demonstrating his profound support for veterans, Tom gave his energy and time to developing the Internet site Vetsling. Tom married his beloved, Lindsay Scott Smith, a realtor at Patterson Schwartz, and together they renovated and landscaped a handsome stone and slate home in the historic Wawaset Park neighborhood in Wilmington, Delaware.

Preceded in death by his father, Bill Smith, Tom is survived by his wife, his mother, his children, his step daughters, Bettina Lindsay Scott and Sydney Tyler Scott, his mother-in-law Bettina Lindsay Jenney, his former wife Suzanne Lauer, his six siblings and their spousesSteven Smith, Elizabeth Jane & Joe Smailes, Mathew William Smith & Dawn Ledgerwood-Smith, Kristin Ann & Scott Hansen, Katrina Jessie & Skipp Thomson, and John Benjamin & Chantale Smithand an extended family of Smith and Hawkins cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. A funeral was held at Christ Church Christiana Hundred on May 12, in Wilmington, Delaware. A private family memorial service will be held June 6, in Provo, Utah, where his mother, Elizabeth Smith, lives.

To honor Toms memory, the family encourages charitable contributions to The Tom Smith Scholarship Fund,” which assists students majoring in music at West Chester University. Checks should be sent to The WCU Foundation, P.O. Box 541, West Chester, PA 19381. Thank you.