Obituary of John Smith Sr.

John Arthur Smith was born in 1945 Rochester, New York and passed on July 15, 2026. The love and care he received from his Aunt Alice and Uncle Bob and his foster parents, Delores and Jim Standing, nurtured him toward a profoundly meaningful life.

A legendary drag racer, John lived fast in his younger years. By thirteen he was drinking, smoking, and selling ice cream from a bicycle cart. Here he met twelve-year-old Carol Lynn Egan, who initially told him to “get lost.” But he kept at it, and his white t-shirt, blue jeans, and just enough Elvis Presley charm eventually won her heart. They were passionately married for sixty-two years, forever remembering each other as teenagers.

A father at nineteen and a driver for Coca-Cola, John and Carol raised John Jr.—and Nick seven years later—with a lot of help from grandparents Alice and Nick Egan. They moved from Sheridan Street in downtown Rochester to Ridgeway Avenue—a beautiful neighborhood for a growing family, backing up to cornfields and the Erie Canal. John and Carol’s home was always the place to hang out. John lived to eat, and he taught the importance of sharing his table with family, friends, and kids who gravitated toward their fun and welcoming home. When John climbed the ranks at Kodak, they moved to an even more welcoming place on St. Andrews Drive.

A brilliant mechanical mind, John could fix just about anything. His lifelong love of Mopars inspired his kids and grandkids, but more importantly his care for cars taught them how to assess problems, get their hands dirty, and work until they figured it out. Cars were also a way to give back. If anyone got stuck—neighbors, the kids’ friends, or strangers—John would happily answer the call.

Always kind, calm, and eager to joke around—up until the very end, pretending to forget his favorite nurses—John felt great appreciation for his life and expressed his love and gratitude with gusto. With two sons, six grandsons, and now a great-grandson, he held a special place in his heart for his “girls”: Keena, Nicole, Kayla, and Catelynn. He’s still waiting on the Bills, but he’ll now enjoy the company of many Notre Dame fans.

John spent nearly 30 years of retirement living with Carol in his dream house on a bluff overlooking Lake Ontario, hosting family and friends and caring for the property and animals—both pets and wild. He liked to pick bushels of apples from the orchard for Carol to make pies. He especially enjoyed regular trips to Nick’s house in Seacoast New Hampshire, and the weeklong annual Christmas parties at John Jr.’s. The hilarious card games, chess matches, and fishing tournaments brought many generations together and continued with his playful spirit.

His memory is a blessing for many, but most profoundly for Carol, his sons John Arthur Smith, Jr. and Dr. Nicholas Jay Smith, their wives Dr. Keena Smith and Nicole Smith, and his six grandsons: Kyle Arthur, Tyler Nicholas, Connor John, Ulysses, Orion, and Soren. He held his great-grandson Colton John with joy in his final days. John’s legacy lives on in the adoring family he built with Carol.

A funeral Mass will be held on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM at Saint Lawrence Roman Catholic Church, 1000 North Greece Road, Rochester, New York.