Terry Walter Smith

Terry Walter Smith, 82, of Raintree Drive in Washington Township, went to be with the Lord Jesus on Saturday, November 16, 2024.  He passed away peacefully at his home.  Born on Sunday, April 26, 1942 in Apollo, he was the son of the late Walter D. Smith and Martha (Egley) Smith and the grandson of the late Walter N. Smith and Amanda (Brewer) Smith.  He is also preceded in death by two brothers, Vaughn A. Smith and Lynn D. Smith. 

Terry is survived by his devoted wife and best friend of 58 years, Barbara Ann (Burdek) Smith; his loving daughter, Sandra (Smith) McLaughlin, married to Andrew D. McLaughlin of Salem, Ohio; three grandchildren, Julie Ann McLaughlin, James Walter McLaughlin, and Josiah Andrew McLaughlin, of Duncansville, Pennsylvania; his youngest brother, Roger N. Smith, of Clarksburg, West Virginia; and sister, Darlene Smith, of Dover, Delaware.

Terry served in the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Apollo High School and then worked in Monroeville for over 40 years at U.S. Steel Technical Center as a metallurgical technician and at R.J. Lee Group, Inc. as an electron microscopist.  He loved the peaceful Pennsylvania forest where he lived for 36 years, as well as vacationing and hiking in many U.S. National Parks with his family.  Highlights include his cross-country trek with Barbara in 1976, when they visited the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon National Parks; the family’s 1990 vacation to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks; and their 2012 trip to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, as well as the Hawaiian Islands of Kauai and Oahu.

Terry enjoyed reading, teaching math and chess to Sandra, birdwatching, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, and music by CCR, the Eagles, and Foreigner.  He and Barbara also enjoyed cheering for Sandra at Kiski Area and Navy cross country and track meets from 1993 to 2001. He could easily be recognized in the crowd by his head of thick, silver-colored hair.  Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.”

A Celebration of Life memorial service to honor Terry is being planned for Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at North Apollo Church of God. 

2 Corinthians 4:6-7, 14-18

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves…

We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

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