Jack Smith, Sr.

Jack Donald Smith, Sr., passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 16, 2011, in Baton Rouge, La., at the age of 86. He was surrounded by his wife of 50 years, Betty, friends and family. Mr. Jack, as he was fondly called by many, was a resident of the tricity area for over twenty five years. He was a past member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and was a charter member of the Morgan City Petroleum Club. A native of Pelham, Georgia, Mr. Jack was loved by all who knew him. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was a P.O.W. He received the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Achievement, and numerous other ribbons and medals for his service. After the war, Mr. Jack, while living in Jacksonville Florida became a commercial diver. He was a member of the ADCI Commercial Diving Hall of Fame, and was awarded the John B. Galletti Memorial Award in 1994. This Memorial Award is given annually by the Association of Diving Contractors to publicly recognize a professional in the industry who has provided substantial contributions toward making the commercial diving industry a better and safer environment in which to work. Mr. Jack was just such a person and the ADCI took great pride and a deep satisfaction in being able to honor him in this prestigious fashion. Employed to supervise the first biginch pipeline installed offshore, Mr. Jack developed the pipeline inspection techniques and procedures that are still being used today. This began a long string of firsts that he developed and pioneered during his 40 years in the diving business. These include being the first civilian diver certified by the U.S. Navy to wetweld, pioneering the use of lock out submarines and later the first ROVs in the Gulf and managing the first underwater radiography equipment and pipeline repair procedures. Mr. Jack started his first diving company in 1957 SH Subwater Salvage in Morgan City which later became SH Diving Corporation. From the start, if you were competing in the Gulf of Mexico diving industry you were competing with Jack Smith, Sr. This fact alone raised the standard of safe, efficient operations and professionalism in the industry. When these were combined with Mr. Jacks integrity, honesty, and extremely strong work ethic, Mr. Jack was unbeatable. Mr. Jack was a leader and role model that demanded performance level and standards above anyone else. He was a people engineer. By example, he created an atmosphere that inspired those working for him to excel. To those who were fortunate enough to have worked for Mr. Jack, he was the John Wayne of the diving business. He broke down barriers between people to enhance teamwork. He constantly sought out talent and then worked to enhance it by instilling confidence and selfrespect. He always had the time to listen to anyone and give advice based on his set of business and people principles he made a lot of people better through association. Mr. Jack was preceded in death by his parents, James Gifford Smith of Pelham, Georgia, Sallie Ollie Demott Smith, of Moultrie, Georgia and sonin law Ross Waldrop of Morgan City. He is survived by his wife, Coral Elizabeth Betty Edrington Smith two sons, Jack D. Smith, Jr., of Patterson, La and his wife Jerri Bergeron Smith, and David B. Smith of Baton Rouge, La. a stepson, Ron Poremba and his wife Annemarie of Jacksonville, Fla. three daughters, Beverly Smith Waldrop, of Denham Springs, La., Barbara Smith Boyd of Baton Rouge, and Alissa Smith Viscardis of Baton Rouge, La., and her husband John Pat Viscardis eight grandchildren, Jessie Waldrop Matens and her husband Alan Matens, Trey Waldrop, Chris Boyd, Jennifer Boyd, Jami Smith, Jacki Smith, Taylor Viscardis, and Jake Viscardis and three greatgrandchildren, Avery Matens, Lexie Matens, and Cruz Fuentes. Memorial services with a Military Honor Guard salute will be held at Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge, La., on Thursday, July 21, 2011, with visitation from 911 AM, a memorial service from 1112, with interment to follow. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Jack requested that donations be made to St. Jude Childrens Hospital www.stjude.orgdonate. The family wishes to thank the nurses and doctors of the MSCC Unit at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital for their compassion and dedication and a special thanks to Dr. John McClelland for his care and devotion over the years.

Visitation

Resthaven Funeral Home
11817 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA  70816
Thursday, July 21, 2011
9am11am

Service

Resthaven Funeral Home
11817 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA  70816
Thursday, July 21, 2011
11am

Memorial Contributions

501 St. Jude Place
Memphis, TN  38105