MANTECA, Calif. – John S. Smith passed away at his home in Manteca, California, with his family at his side, on July 21, 2021, after a long battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

He was the son of Arthur and Doris Small. He was born Nov. 12, 1939, in Bristol, England, during the first German Bombing Run where he was in a bunker with his mother and his cousin, David. He never knew his father as he was a British Air Force Spitfire Pilot who was killed in 1941. His mother remarried Lyndall T. Smith, who was in the U.S. Army, in 1943. Lyndall adopted John, and they relocated to the United States on the Queen Mary in 1946, along with his brother, Warren.

John spent 30 years with the United States Army and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4. After retirement, he returned to the government for an additional nine years of civil service.

He was predeceased by his parents and his wife of 58 years, Maria F. Smith.

He is survived by his daughters, Maria and Olegario Avila of Manteca, California; Doris and Joel Dickenson of Pikeville, North Carolina; his son, Frank and Lynette Smith of Aromas, California; nine grandchildren: Jennifer, Melissa, Megan, Jacob, Kevin, Grace, Brandon, Ryan and Adam; his brother, Warren and Patricia Smith of Sebring, Florida; his sister, Jennifer Clark of Skowhegan, Maine; nieces and nephews; and cousins in England.

Arrangements are under the care of Darling and Fischer Garden Chapel, San Jose, California.

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