John Thomas Smith's Obituary
John Thomas Smith, 59, beloved husband, stepfather, and grandfather, passed away Thursday, August 18, 2016 in Memphis, TN while at work.
John was born July 22, 1957 in Washington D.C. to Dr. John Joseph Smith and Ruth Smith of Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Roger Bacon Catholic High School in Cincinnati and joined the U.S. Army at age 17 to serve with the 82nd Airborne.
John was a professional driver for Ryder Logistics since 2003. He recently won the 2016 Rite Aid Supply Chain Driver Skills Challenge in Spartanburg, S.C. He then went on to compete in the Perryman Maryland National Rite Aid Supply Chain Driver Skills Challenger in June, 2016. This was his 4th national competition at Perryman.
Over the last 35 years as a driver, John won numerous safety and skilled driver awards. His career included driving for JB Hunt, USF Logistics and Werner Enterprises where he trained students to become safe drivers for 7 years.
John is survived by his wife of 32 years, Bobbie Smith of Charlotte, his two stepsons; Adam Smith of Salisbury and Clay Hamilton of Charlotte, three grandchildren; Brittany, Thomas, and Savannah Smith of Charlotte, three sisters; Valarie Helton, Jacqueline Smith, Andrea Vittoria, brothers-in-law; Joseph Helton, Dennis Vittoria, nephews; John and Matthew Helton all of Cincinnati, Ohio.
A service to celebrate John’s life will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 23, 2016 in the chapel of James Funeral Home of Huntersville. The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until service time. Online condolences may be made at www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com.
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