James L. Smith

West Point, 1965

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Peter B. Lounsbury on September 23, 2000:

Jim and I first met in March 1961 at Governor's Island in New York City where we were taking our entrance exams for West Point. We developed a liking for each other in the four days we were there and when we arrived at West Point on July 5, 1961, I remember seeing him briefly saying "Hi you made it too!" We then were whisked off into the rigors of Beast and as we were assigned to different companies, I really did not get to see Jim again until Plebe Christmas. The next summer at Buckner, we were in the same platoon and it was that assignment that has had a profound effect on my life as Jim introduced me to the young lady who has been my wife for the past 35 years. Jim was a caring and fun loving person and we both liked to play tennis and I had borrowed his racquet for a quick match with another classmate. Before we were finished with our match, Jim showed up with this very attractive blonde lady and I had to return his racquet to let them have playing time. Later that evening, Jim permitted me a dance with Heidi, his date, with whom he had attended high school in Nyack, New York. Less than three years later, Jim served as the Best Man in our wedding on June 26, 1965. Military assignments sent us on different paths but we kept in touch. When Jim married Kathleen Christman in October 1969 after I had returned from Vietnam, Heidi and I were invited to their wedding and I served as a groomsman. Jim and Kathleen lived on the west coast and we were saddened when that union was dissolved several years later. After that while working in the San Francisco area, Jim met Amy Blue. Heidi and I saw him only once during that period while he was on a business trip for Hewlett Packard coming to Rochester, N.Y. where we live. Sadly, Amy passed away after they had been married about 10 years suffering a long battle with cancer. Jim, left with their two young children, was devastated. He did, however, manage to keep his sense of humor and did stay in touch with us usually through letters and notes at Christmas. The next time we saw Jim was at out 25th reunion which he and a new lady in his life, Elizabeth, attended. She is a vivacious, tall and charming lady and they shared a love of horses. About 5 years ago we learned that they had decided to exchange the fast paced life in Silicon Valley for a life in a small town in Idaho. Soon we were receiving Christmas cards with pictures of Jim and Elizabeth in a "one horse open sleigh" with Jim sporting a broad brimmed Stetson. We continued to keep in touch with Jim and Elizabeth directly and through Jim's mother whom Heidi had known since her early teen years and who lived in Santa Barbara, Ca. where our daughter attends college. Jim dealt with his mom's declining health with brave comments but a heavy heart. It was he who informed us of her passing in January of 2000. Jim leaves behind a legacy of a caring and thoughtful person who had his share of pain in his life. Through all the years, he always maintained his sense of humor and smile. We will miss you very much Jimmy Smith. The suddeness of your passing leaves us in shock but we think you passed on doing something you evidently loved that you learned later in life, working with horses. Be thou at peace knowing that you touched the lives of many and had a profound effect on the lives of some others such as we.

admin