Ralph L. Smith

On October 15, 2015, at the age of 91, Ralph L. Smith of Everett, Massachusetts, died peacefully at his residence in Silver Spring, Maryland, after a long and difficult battle with cancer. Devoted husband for 44-years of the late Eleanor Marie Hanson; loving companion of Dorothy Glaser, father of sons Ralph of Davidsonville, MD, Scott of Gaithersburg, MD and Paul of Columbia, MD , and grandfather of Claire Aifen. His son Richard died tragically in 1975 at 22-years old.

Ralph was a Private First Class in the lauded U.S. Army 104th Regiment Infantry Division, during World War II. His regiment was trained specifically to fight during nighttime conditions and battled clear across France, in Belgium, and in the Rhineland, against fierce German counterattacks where they sustained devastating losses, and where Ralph was seriously wounded and awarded The Purple Heart.

After the war, Ralph received a Bachelor of Science degree with high marks in Mathematics from Northeastern University and later retired after 35-years of meritorious, civilian service to the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Although gone now, he will never be forgotten. A visitation of family and friends will be held at Joseph Gawler's Sons at 5130 Wisconsin Ave, NW Washington, DC on Monday, October 19 at 11AM - 1PM and again at 5PM - 7PM. A memorial service will be held at the Inter-faith Chapel at 3680 So. Leisure World Blvd., Silver Spring, MD on Tuesday October 20 at 11AM. Burial with military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.