Melvin Warren Smith

Melvin Warren Smith was born on January 7, 1945 in the South Bronx of New York City. The first child of his parents Warren and Alice. Growing up in the projects with his younger brother Roy he learned that everyone wanted to be treated with respect and his love for the New York Yankees. After high school he enlisted in the US Air Force where he learned the trade that would be his career, aircraft mechanic. Serving from Andrews Air Force base in Washington D.C. he spent his service during the Vietnam War as the in-flight mechanic on USAF planes and marching in several parades.

After being discharged from the Air Force, he found employment with Pan American Airlines for whom he was employed for 25 years working on their jet aircraft at JFK airport. On Dec 16, 1966, he met Cora Garofalo, the woman who would become his wife. He must’ve known very quickly as he proposed on their first date, and while Cora said “No” the first time he asked he was persistent asking on each date. Eventually she said “Yes” and they were married on July 22, 1967.

A little over a year later their first child, Charles, was born, they moved to Holtsville, Long Island to the last place that he would call home. In 1973 their daughter Dorothy was born and around the same time He also enlisted as a reservist in the New York Air National Guard and was with the 106th Air Rescue and Recovery Unit at West Hampton Beach. He retired from military service in 1993 as a Technical-Sergeant with a combined 23 years of service. While his children were growing up, Melvin regularly worked the graveyard shift, sleeping while they were at school and being home with them before they went to bed and he went to work. Being home with his children allowed him to be an Assistant Scout Master for Charlie and drive Dorothy to her youth cheerleading and them both to many other activities. The family took regular advantage of the Pan Am travel benefits traveling to London to Sydney, from Hong Kong to Cairo, from Rome to Mexico City. Melvin was literally able to give his family the world.

After Pan Am folded, Melvin was hired by Amtrak where he worked another 15 years on the trains for the North-east corridor, including several years on the Acela. During these years Mel and Cora began cruising and his grand-daughter, Ashley, came into his life. Melvin thoroughly enjoyed being Ashley’s “Pop-Pop”.

About the same time that he retired from Amtrak, Good Shepherd church began a senior’s group and Mel and Cora have been there since the beginning, regularly playing cards and participating in various outings (and not a few of the shenanigans). He and his wife continued to travel, to Cooperstown, to Disney World and even to Europe to see Ashley play in England. In these years Melvin dealt with some health issues and had surgeries for his eyesight and for his balance so in January when he was told surgery was an available option to cure him of his cancer, he optimistically looked forward to a tough but complete recovery. That was not to be, and he succumbed to his cancer July 20th, 2019

Melvin is survived by his wife of 52 years, Cora. His son, Charles, daughter Dorothy and grand-daughter Ashley.