Kenneth William Smith (May 18, 1927 - November 23, 2024)

In loving memory of
Kenneth William Smith
  • May 18, 1927
  • -
  • November 23, 2024

  • Obituary
  • Sign Tribute Wall
  • Send an E-Card
  • Light a Candle
  • Send Flowers
  • Photos

Obituary

Kenneth William Smith, 97 of Winter Park Florida, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2024. A funeral will be held on Saturday, January, 18th at 10:00 am at the First Baptist Church of Winter Park. 1021 N. New York Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789,

In tribute to our father.

One early Saturday morning we were surprised by the sound of a diesel truck dumping a huge mound of sand in our backyard beneath the old oak tree. The mound of sand grew and grew, eagerly calling us to come and play. Within the branches of that immense oak, our dad built the coolest tree fort ever, that included a rope swing from which we’d fly, drop, and tumble into the soft sand below. In addition to being a kid at heart, our dad was the perfect provider, selfless in nature, and committed to bringing us joy, even if it required tearing up his backyard.

Dad’s greatest delight was the people in his life. More than anything, he loved his family. It didn’t matter if you were a branch, twig, or leaf on the family tree. The only thing that mattered was that you were family. Our dad was the ultimate example of a caring patriarch, celebrating accomplishments, having our backs in times of need, and carefully planning for our future. His love of family reflected his heart, which was bigger and more golden than all the wheat fields of Oklahoma where he was raised.

Dad’s childhood was like a chapter out of Tom Sawyer, reflecting the innocence of adventure between the margins of each page. He grew up smelling ripened wheat fields and crude oil. He ran barefoot in the summer, swam and fished in creeks, hunted squirrels, and rode a horse followed by his dog Gypsy. He witnessed oil-wealthy Native Americans in full headdress riding in the back of chauffeur driven Cadillacs with their convertible tops down. He also witnessed firsthand the horrific devastation caused by the Dust Bowl.

As a young man, Dad worked hard, sweaty farm jobs and did a stint with the “roughnecks” in the old fields. He often described this work as the dirtiest, grimiest work a man could do. At the end of every shift, he had to take two baths, one with kerosene to wipe off the oil, and the second with soap to wash off the grime. Occasionally, he enjoyed a bit of mischief by sneaking off on Sunday afternoons to play pool or to watch local farmers bet on horses that raced on uneven, sod busted fields. His early life was wonderfully Midwestern simple.

Dad’s love for golf started when he caddied as a teenager. It was love at first swing. He caddied for money so he could pay to play golf. To him, this sport was not just a matter of whacking the ball. The entire universe of golf captivated him from the start. He immersed himself in its history, tradition, architecture, and strategy. He treasured the warm camaraderie and friendly competition that golf fostered, soon making it a significant aspect of his long life. He eventually became a professional golf course photographer and traveled to many parts of the world to capture the beautiful ambiance of golf’s premier courses. As children, after we were in bed, we’d often hear the sonic woosh of the golf club as Dad practiced his swing in the living room, launching an imaginary ball into golf’s infinity. Never once did he hit the ceiling above or the carpet below. It was just woosh…silence, woosh…silence. Even after becoming visually impaired during the last few years of his life, he continued playing. He’d ask his buddies where his ball went after teeing off, and they’d reply, “Ken, it went where it always goes, right down the center of the fairway.”

In addition to falling in love with golf, he developed a love for music early on. In high school, he learned to play the trumpet and was good enough to play in dance bands for money, which he naturally spent on golf. Later, while attending college, he chose an early morning humanities course, thinking that not only it would be an easy grade, but he could also catch up on some sleep. Wrong! His teacher was wise to students like Dad and proceeded to tell them that they had to stay awake and listen to classical music or she would fail them faster than a prairie fire with a tailwind. That teacher completely changed his appreciation of music. For the rest of his life, Dad enjoyed all kinds of music, from classical to rock, jazz, country, Wagner, Beethoven, Mozart, The Beatles, The Doors, Zeppelin, and everything in between. Opera, not so much. Dad would eventually teach himself how to play guitar. Unlike the trumpet, his progress on the guitar was so excruciatingly slow that his wife banished him to the garage to practice. Eventually though, he emerged triumphant and often led the family in many a hootenanny sing-a-long, teaching us how to play as well. His love for music was evident even when he was 95, listening to Stairway to Heaven for the first time. As the song slowly gathered tension, leading to Jimmy Page launching his iconic guitar solo, Dad sat transfixed by what he heard, smiled broadly, and pumped his fist as he cheered Jimmy on.

Throughout his long life, Dad was great fun to be around. He had a quick, spontaneous wit, a broad sense of humor, and a knack for delivering crisp, razor-sharp one-liners out of nowhere. His humor was always in good taste, respectful, and dignified, ensuring he never offended others. He was a consummate teller of embellished stories featuring colorful characters that unfolded with impeccable, comic timing. Like the time he and a high school buddy called “Gordo” went in halves on an old beat-up car with a big hole in the floor and brakes so bad they tied a rope around a large rock, shoving it out the hole when they needed to slow down in a hurry. According to one version of the story, they were speeding around a corner on a dirt farm road, spun out of control and almost rolled the car. No one got hurt, but that incident served as a powerful lesson in the physics of centrifugal force for “Gordo”, aka Gordon Cooper, who later became one of the first astronauts to orbit the earth during the Mercury Space Program. Gordo and Dad crossed paths again in the Gulf of Mexico when Gordo’s space capsule splashed down while Dad was on board the navy retrieval ship working with a mobile television crew. Later, Dad asked Gordo what he was thinking about just before liftoff and Gordo replied, “I was thinking that this rocket’s parts were made by the lowest bidder!”

Because Dad loved seeing and trying new things, he joined the navy after high school. He wanted to “see the world.” His goal was realized when his ship was ordered to Hawaii. On board, Dad’s reputation as an excellent golfer caught the attention of some officers. They invited him to play golf on spectacular courses overlooking the deep, blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. This far exceeded his dreams of seeing the world.

After the navy and college at the University of Oklahoma, Dad worked for a local newspaper. Initially, he worked as a gofer, proofreading ads before the deadline. Before long, however, he heard a rumor that the owner of the paper had recently bought a television station. Having the guts to seize every opportunity, Dad was one of the first to apply for a transfer. Though most people advised him against getting into television, as they believed it to be nothing more than a passing fad, Dad was confident with his decision. That single decision set in motion an unimaginable chain of events that forever changed his and consequently our lives.

He entered the television industry when it was in its infancy. The newness of it excited him and the rest of the staff. They would sit around after signing off, trying to come up with ideas for what people might like to watch. Though Dad started off moving set furniture, he retired as a station manager who oversaw the construction of the WESH-TV 2 studio located alongside Interstate 4 in central Florida. Throughout his career, he ran cameras, lit studios, wrote scripts, and directed. He was responsible for bringing aspects of space, sports, and politics to the small screen of local television. He worked with super star celebrities, athletes, and actors during his long career. He met presidents and ate with dignitaries. It was a fantastic career that moved as fast as the news cycle. Dad loved every bit of it, but it never changed the warm, simple, polite man inside who put his wife and family first.

It was at WTVT-13 in Tampa where he gave his heart to Jeri Smith of Wauchula, Florida. In 1964, she was the station receptionist while Dad worked in the studio. It wasn’t love at first sight, but one day, they were talking and admitted to each other that neither had a date for the upcoming company party. Dad suggested, “Why not go together?” She accepted his offer. Launch Sequence Initiated! From time to time, Dad would reminisce about the day when he finally gathered the courage to reach over to hold her hand, and she held his hand back. Liftoff! On Tuesday, December 22, 1964, a simple Wauchula girl named Smith married a simple man from Shawnee named Smith at the courthouse in Bartow, Florida, during their lunch hour. It was a simple ceremony, but for them, it was their very own personal “Super Tuesday.” Dad continued holding Mom’s hand and courting her like a teenager throughout their 53 years of marriage. He was the busy provider, but she was the glue that kept everything together. Dinnertime was an event, with candles and tablecloths, a way of expressing the importance of family. Games were made up, folk songs were sung, and laughter was a constant reminder of the joy they brought as a couple. Together, they raised three boys, traveled, laughed, and faced challenges with courage. They were best friends, and he was at Jeri’s side when she passed, holding her hand as he always had.

Though Dad was a humorous man with the quickest wit, when it came to serious matters, he was serious. He was reliable, could be counted on, and thoughtfully planned ahead. He accepted and shouldered responsibility. Much of who he was can be attributed to the values of his midwestern upbringing. Values like honesty, being a good neighbor, having polite manners, and working hard. Fundamental was the value of simple things, like the warm brick wrapped in newspaper placed at his feet in bed on a cold winter night. Simple, like meat and potatoes or bacon, definitely bacon. When Dad left Oklahoma as a young man, he took those values with him and integrated every one of them into our upbringing.

Dad was generous and open-handed. He gave money to his church and various charities. He financially supported the college education of his children and in-laws. He served on the local board of directors of Goodwill, and he swung a hammer building houses for Habitat for Humanity. He never forgot a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas present. Sometimes, he would just slip you a few bucks if he thought you needed it. He did everything out of love, never out of obligation.

Dad’s legacy will be a testament to his love affair with life. With his warm, curious, engaging spirit, he traveled through life, eager to find out what was around the next corner and to experience all it had to offer. Dad didn’t need a bucket list because he was too busy living one. He embodied the attributes that everyone of us should emulate, and his spirit will live on in those of us who choose to embrace the same passion for adventure, curiosity for learning new things, and immense dedication to family.


Send flowers to the family to show you care. Order Now

Tribute Wall

Leave a reply



Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Tom Hirsch says:
    12 Jan 2025
    We send our condolences to all of Ken's family and friends. I was honored to work for Ken when I was hired at WESH in March, 1988. His calmness, honesty, leadership, and friendliness impressed me, and I always enjoyed seeing or talking to him. His legacy and influence will continue in the wonderful family he has, and in the careers of the many people who worked with him. Thank you for the excellent tribute that you have written for him. The details you provided help us understand and appreciate his family and his accomplishments even more.

Send an E-Card

Please select an e-card

    Required fields are marked *
     

    Note: The code below resets with every submit of the form
    captcha