What a personal loss. In my early years, he taught me, In my "middle" years, he reinforced me and in our final years, he was a great friend that made me laugh. Oh, could he make me laugh.
I specifically recall one time when we were fishing together on a lake somewhere around Yorktown.
The laughter started before we cleared the pier and when we returned, some 5 hours later, all i had to show for the venture was sore abs from laughing so hard. I have never had such a good time and not caught a thing.
I spoke with him via phone about a month ago during which he assured me that he was OK but the days were getting harder. I could tell from his voice that the end was near, But....., that didn't stop him. Before the call was completed, he had me in stitches again. We left each other on a high note and I will always be thankful for that.
I'll miss my really good friend. I will really miss him a lot..
Again, Pat and I send our condolences to the Smock family.
Smokey will be sorely missed. Not only was he one of the "founders" of what has become IUSS, he was also a "pillar" of our system for 60+ years and will always be remembered as long as our system continues to exist.
It made me very sad to hear that Ed had passed when I logged into the message board today. Like all the comments from people that knew him, Im at a loss for words. Smokey was retiring from the Navy shortly after I arrived at COSL but we worked together a number of times throughout the years as TRW contractors and even some after I left TRW. At one point he was staying with me in my Reston, Va townhouse and driving home on weekends. He cooked some great meals and all I had to do was clean up! He will be missed by his family and countless friends.
