We all want to remember the fun and happy times about someone, and especially now we want to remember the best about Richard Smith, Smitty to some, Fubai to others, brother and husband to the family, and a friend to all.

Smitty was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and spent his young life there until he enlisted in the Navy in 1947. After boot camp, he was part of the fleet Navy aboard the battleship Wisconsin where he served during the Korean War then later aboard the aircraft carrier Bennington. He had been a salvage diver after that and was proud of being a 'hard hat' diver. Very few men in the Navy receive the distinction of putting on a heavy underwater suit and a helmet with air supplied from the surface, but Smitty was one of the few. In 1953, Smitty was discharged from the Navy and went home to Ft. Wayne where he worked in the steel mill with his younger brother, Jack, and became a Scoutmaster earning a Wood Badge, working with young Scouts over the next 12 or 13 years. However, Smitty stayed in the active reserves where, because of his experience, he became part of the Navy Construction Battalions, the Seabees, eventually attaining the rank of Master Chief Constructionman.

In 1967, Smitty again answered the call of his country and went to active duty with the Seabees. He was very active in moving the home port of the east coast Seabee base from Davisville, Rhode Island, to Gulfport, Mississippi. In the fall of 1969 he was part of the cadre that helped in the clean up from hurricane Camille which did so much damage to the Gulf Coast area. He went on to serve two tours in Viet Nam and also worked on Diego Garcia, the United States' base in the Pacific. Smitty was later assigned to the Pacific Seabee Command, working with Captains and Admirals planning and supporting public works projects and many other endeavors. It was during this time Smitty met his wife, Sumiko, in Kamiseya, Japan, and they have been happily married for these past 25 years. After three years in Kamiseya, he was assigned to the submarine base in Connecticut as the Assistant Public Works Officer, then following that duty, they were able to be reassigned to Kamiseya, Japan, again as the Assistant Public Works Officer prior to his discharge after having served for thirty years and three wars.

Master Chief Constructionman Richard Wayne Smith served honorably under numerous commands and conditions, beginning his Naval career on the battleship Wisconsin, later on the aircraft carrier Bennington, working underwater in Tokyo harbor clearing the harbor of the ships that had been sunk there, and so many more milestones in his career that he was awarded the Navy Commendation medal with Valor among all of the medals he had been awarded.

Smitty is survived by his wife, Sumiko, one brother, Jack, and many nieces and nephews.

It is hard to explain death. Is there life after death? Yes, there really is. What is it like and what is heaven like? Nobody knows, but the Bible tells us in Revelation 21:18 and following that heaven is like a city and the wall of the city was made of Jasper, and the city of pure gold. The foundation of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, carnelian, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. There were twelve gates into the city, each made of a single pearl and the streets of the city were pure gold.

Is this a true description of heaven? No, I don't think so because we can't imagine anything outside of our experiences. If you had never seen the color blue, how could you imagine it if someone were to describe it to you? So this is a description of something we can relate to and we recognize it as something beautiful and desirable. The other day I saw an ugly caterpillar. Ugh! But as I reflect upon that caterpillar I realize something about life and death. That ugly creature will attach itself to a limb, build a cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly. That is probably what our life is. We are the ugly caterpillar in this life. When we die we become like the cocoon to emerge into our new life like the butterfly. There are no words to describe our new life, how glorious and beautiful it is. But we can imagine it in glowing terms that we can understand. And I pray that Smitty has experienced this new life, this becoming a butterfly. Let us pray to our God.

Awarded to officers and enlisted men of the United States Armed Forces who perform outstandingly and receive letters of commendation from a superior grade officer. A bronze "V" is worn to show that it was earned while participating in operations against an armed enemy.

No. 39: Navy Achievement Medal.

Awarded to enlisted personnel for outstanding leadership.

No. 125: Navy Good Conduct Medal with one silver star.

Awarded to enlisted personnel indicating special distinctions for fidelity, zeal, and obedience. With one silver star, denoting five gold stars earned, each star awarded at subsequent re-enlistments.

No. 189: National Defense Service with gold star.

Awarded to personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served between June 27, 1950, and July 27, 1954, or from January 1, 1961, to January 1, 1974. Gold star indicates it was awarded for both dates.

No. 181: Korean Service Campaign with three stars.

Awarded to personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Korean Theater from June 27, 1950, to July 27, 1954. Three stars indicate three tours.

No. 183: Vietnam Campaign Service with Marine insignia.

Awarded to personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Republic of Vietnam. The Marine insignia indicates Navy personnel attached to Fleet Marine Force unit participating in combat operations.

No. 258: Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation.

Awarded to personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served by the Republic of Vietnam in recognition of meritorious civil action service.

No. 221: United Nations Service.

Authorized by the United Nations General Assembly December 12, 1950, and awarded to personnel of the United States Armed Forces who served in the Korean Theater on behalf of the United Nations Command from June 27, 1950, to July 27, 1954.

No. 227: Republic of Vietnam Campaign.

This medal was authorized by the Department of Defense June 20, 1966, thus clearing the way for U.S. military personnel to accept and wear a service medal tendered by a foreign government. The requirements for this award to U.S. servicemen are that they first earn the U.S. Vietnam Service Medal and serve six months in direct support of military operations in Vietnam.

No. 228: U.S. Navy Expert Pistol Shot.

Awarded for qualification under rigidly prescribed marksmanship requirements established by the Navy for the automatic pistol.

Navy Hard Hat Diver's pin. Awarded only to those so qualified.