Obituary of Edward L Smead, II

Edward L. Smead II, 92, of St. Petersburg died comfortably at home on July 31, 2021, after a long illness.

Ed is survived by his wife Janet who was a joy for him in his waning years; his sister Elaine Tracey of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania; four sons, Lawrence Smead and wife Susan of Lewisburg, West Virginia, Stephen Smead and wife Cate of Kennesaw, Georgia, Kenneth Smead and wife Nikki of Virginia Beach, and Robert Smead and wife Cindi of Harrisonburg, Virginia; eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Hanna Smead and wives Lucille Wott Smead and Mary Lynn Daniels Smead.

Ed was born in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1928.  He graduated from Williamsport High School and Lycoming College in Williamsport.  After college, Ed served in the United States Army as a hospital technician at Camp Pickett, Virginia, during the Korean War.  Ed worked briefly for his dad’s insurance agency in Williamsport and became a pharmaceutical representative for Parke Davis, a company which later became Pfizer.

Ed and Lucille raised their four children in Radford, Virginia.  Ed was active in the Grove Avenue Methodist Church, singing in the choir and working with the MYF.  Ed was a Cubmaster for the local Cub Scout pack in Radford.  Ed was a prominent member of the Radford Committee on Race Relations and helped steer the community in desegregating its schools, pools, and theaters.

Later in life he moved to St. Petersburg, Florida.  He was a member of Pasadena Presbyterian Church, where he sang in the choir and was a church elder.  He belonged to the St. Petersburg Rotary Club.

Ed had a variety of interests, many of which he developed later in life.  He was an accomplished artist of oil paintings, he could play a piano, he learned to play a guitar, and he built a grandfather clock and a dulcimer.  He loved music and left an extensive collection of vinyl records.  He built several train sets, and there was always a train under the Christmas tree.

Ed was a pleasant man who made friends easily.  He raised his children by his fine example, from which he never wavered. 

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Anderson McQueen Funeral Home of St. Petersburg.  A service in St. Petersburg will be scheduled at a later date.  Ed’s family will celebrate another ceremony at Wildwood Cemetery in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.