Lee Duane Smith

Lee Smith passed away on October 1, 2020 in his favorite place on earth, his home for the past 48 years in Marietta, GA. Lee was born on May 25, 1935 in a Luthern Hospital in Fort Dodge, Iowa to the late Earl and Myrtle Smith (Sanquist). He was also preceded in death by his two brothers, Deane and Charles Smith. After 38 years of marriage, Lee’s first love and wife, Roswitha “Rose” Smith (Wachter) passed away on April 29, 1998. Lee is survived by his wife of 19 years, Julie Smith (Myers), who sat affectionately by his side as he took his final breath. He is also survived by his daughter Elenore Kouimtze, his stepsons U.S. Army First Sergeant Justin Waynick and his wife Molly and Jason Waynick and his wife Amber. He leaves 11 grandchildren who lovingly referred to him as Papi. Finally, he was survived by his brother-in-law, who was also a great friend and “Fisherman Extraordinaire” Roger “Butch” Myers. Sergeant First Class (Retired) Lee Smith, aka Sarge. is an American hero from the Vietnam War. He joined the Army as an Airborne Infantryman in January 1954, and retired in February 1976, after 22 years of service. During those 22 years, his story is one for the history books. He served three years in Japan, seven years in Europe, two years as an Airborne instructor at Ft. Benning, GA and he spent two years fighting in the Vietnam War. During his two tours in Vietnam, he served in the 1st Battalion of the historic 173rd Airborne Brigade known as the Sky Soldiers. Some of his awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, the Army Occupation Medal - Germany, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Master Parachutist Badge. Upon retiring from the Army, he became a deputy in the the Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, where he served his community for 15 years. Because as he put it, “I like chasing bad guys, it’s fun. It’s like little kids you play cops and robbers and soldiers. I got to do this most of my grown life.” Lee retired from the Cobb County Sheriffs Department in order to care for his sick wife, Rose, which he would do until her death in 1998. This is a perfect example of the type of man Lee Smith was. Two years later he met his wonderful wife, Julie, and they were married in 2001. He was constantly heard saying “I am the luckiest person in the world to have found two wonderful wives.” Lee Smith made an impact on this world through a lifetime of service. Simply put, he always did the right thing because it was the right thing to do. He was not a man to boast about his many accomplishments, and he is likely looking down and upset that we are bragging on his behalf. The amount of love and respect that he had within his community was evident in the large parade that his friends and neighbors had in his honor two months ago. This American Hero will be receiving his much deserved military honors during his service at the Georgia National Cemetery on 12 October 2020 at 0900. His family invites you to share in this occasion to pay your respects to a man that spent almost four decades of his life protecting our freedom and American way of life.