Lee O. Smith

Lee passed away July 25, 2018, after a long illness. He was born in Eugene, Oregon, on February 8, 1933, to Jessalyn and Travis Smith. The family later moved to California, where Lee was primarily raised. In 1951 he graduated from C.K. McClatchy High School in Sacramento, where he was Student Body President and excelled in track and field. Lee attended the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Radio and Television in 1955. He also met his future wife, Mary Louise Jones, while at UCLA. They were married in 1956, a union that lasted 49 years until her death in 2005, and produced four children.

Lee was drafted into the Navy after graduating from UCLA. After boot camp, he attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, graduating in August of 1956. Lee was exceptionally proud of his military career, which spanned nearly 30 years. He loved the Navy and recalled those years as some of the happiest of his life. Lee and Mary Lou loved the opportunity to travel afforded by the military life. Additionally, he enjoyed the camaraderie of his peers. In his early years, Lee served on the USS Shea DM-30, the USS Esteem, and the USS Trathen. He then went to the Intelligence Post Graduate School in Washington D.C., after which he was assigned as the Assistant Naval Attaché to Cairo, Egypt. Following his overseas tour, he had his first command as CO of the USS Butternut in Long Beach, CA.

Lee was a Vietnam veteran, and during the war he was: Chief of Staff of DesRon 11and assigned CincPacStaff at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. He was also deployed to Vietnam on the John R. Perry, DE 1034 as Commanding Officer and as CO of the Everett F. Larson, DD 830. He then went on to command the USS Isbell DD 869, out of Long Beach, CA. Lee went to French Language School in Washington, D.C. in 1974, and was then assigned as Naval Attaché in Brussels, Belgium. While in Brussels he was selected for Captain. His Captain assignments included: CincPac in Hawaii; ComDesRon 11 also in Hawaii; Deputy Commander of Naval Intelligence, Suitland, Maryland; and Deputy Director of Naval Communications at the Pentagon. When the Chief of Naval Operations said there would be no more beards allowed in the Navy as of January 1, 1985, Lee decided to retire as of February 1, 1985.

After his retirement from the Navy, Lee accepted a job with Rockwell International and moved his family to Garland, TX. He worked for Rockwell for five years, and then worked as a realtor. He was on the Board of Directors of the Spring Park Homeowners Association for nine years, and served as a Garland City Councilman for five years. In 2007 Lee married his second wife, Kari K. McKibben.

Lee enjoyed a round of golf and watching sports on TV, but his favorite hobby was restoring old cars. He was happiest puttering in his garage and bringing some old relic back to life!

Survivors include wife, Kari Smith of Garland, TX; his children, Renee Smith (Claire Siverson) of Vallejo, CA, Lee Smith Jr of Tampa, FL, RADM Michael (Ellen) Smith, USN, Ret. of Annandale, VA, and Julie (James) Dulac of Rowlett, TX; nine grandchildren, Casera Mullock, Alli, and Emma Smith of Clearwater, FL, Kaiden and Chloe Smith of Annandale, VA, and Christopher, Megan, Lauren, and Caitlin Dulac of Rowlett, TX; brother, Travis Smith of Hendersonville, NC; and Lee's Boxer dog, Junior of Garland, TX.