Richard "Dick" Milton Smith's Obituary
Richard "Dick" Milton Smith of Tacoma, Washington passed away suddenly at the age of 91 on February 9, 2019. He was born on September 13, 1927 to Milton and Marie Smith and lived in Tacoma all his life. He graduated from Lincoln High School, Class of 1945 and kept in touch with his classmates by serving on the reunion committee. Dick married the love of his life, Ruth Rinas on 6/3/1950. They were blessed with three beautiful daughters; Robin Smith, Jan Clark (Geoff), and Patti Pace (Ron), grandchildren Justina Riipi (Ben), Jenna Roark (Jeff), Jarod Pace, and Whitney Clark, and four great grandchildren. Preceding him in death were his parents, wife Ruth, daughter Robin, and sister Jeanne Nelson.
Dick was a proud veteran and served in the Army Signal Corp during World War II in the Philippines. He spent his entire working career in the construction industry and eventually opened his own company, RM Smith Construction. During this time he received numerous local and national building awards. After 25 years of running his company, he retired in 2000.
Dick and Ruth were avid golfers and longtime members of Fircrest Golf Club, where he also served as President in 1997-1998. They both enjoyed golfing and the social life the club provided. They made lifelong friends there. Over the years, he enjoyed relaxing in Arizona, Hawaii and fishing in Alaska. He was a member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church for over 50 years.
He loved everything about life and cherished the time spent with family and friends. We will all miss him greatly but find comfort in knowing he is at peace with the Lord and together again with Ruth and Robin.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Fircrest Golf Club on Tuesday, March 19th at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Wounded Warriors Project.
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