Obituary of Donald William Smith

Donald W. "Don" Smith, 70, of Vineland, NJ passed away peacefully in the presence of family on Monday, June 14, 2021 at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. He and his wife Theresa (Leone) Smith have been married for 38 years. He was predeceased by his parents George and Shirley Smith of Vineland, his father-in-law and mother-in-law Thomas and Yolanda Leone of Vineland, and his brother-in-law Joseph Ardito of Milmay. Born on December 12, 1950, Don was a lifelong resident of Vineland and spent his childhood on several baseball and basketball teams. He graduated from Vineland High School in 1969 and enlisted in the United States Army that same year attending radio training in Fort Gordon, GA. He proudly served his country in the Vietnam War from 1969-1972 as a radio operator. Upon return to the U.S., Don drove a route for 7Up Company and he began his career as a heating and cooling technician with Cheli Oil Company. He ended his career with Laury Heating, retiring in 2016. He spent his well-deserved retirement in his lovely home with his wife Theresa ("Terry"). Don truly enjoyed his family and devoted his time to his wife Terry. He and Terry loved traveling to Lancaster, PA and spending summer days at the Ocean City beach. He most loved spending time with his three grandchildren Kayla, Kyleigh, and Robert attending Kayla's singing recitals, Kyleigh's gymnastics meets, and Robert's baseball games as often as possible. He attended every school function and holiday gathering in complete joy. He found pleasure in building and continuously adding to his train display, sharing quirky jokes, and helping to take care of his grand dog Cove. Don was known as quiet but witty and loved his wife, children, and grandchildren fiercely. Don's pancake breakfasts and wine infused steak dinners will be greatly missed and his lengthy storytelling (once you got him talking) will forever be cherished by his children and grandchildren. Survivors include his wife Theresa (Leone) Smith of Vineland; son Steven Smith of Vineland; daughter Dina (Rob) Strain of Millville; grandchildren Kayla Smith and her mother Denise Bard of Indiana and Kyleigh and Robert Strain of Millville. He is also survived by two sisters, Carol Graiff (Rick) of Vineland and RuthAnn LaCombe (Dominick) of Florida; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Joan (Leone) Ardito of Milmay, Russell and Loni (Leone) Jost of Cape May, Thomas and Diane Leone of Vineland, Ronnie and Nancy (Leone) Williams of Pittsgrove and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. A private memorial service will be held at Rone Funeral Service, 1110 E. Chestnut Ave. Vineland, NJ 08360. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Community Food Bank, 6735 Black Horse Pike EHT, NJ 08234. ARRANGEMENTS are under the supervision of Rone Funeral Service, 1110 East Chestnut Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360 To send online condolences please visit our website at www.RONEFUNERALSERVICE.com