Obituaries / LJWorld.com

Obituaries

Services for J. Richard "Dick" Smith, 73, Albuquerque, will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Albuquerque. Burial with military honors will follow at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe.Mr. Smith died Thursday, June 22, 2006, at his home from cancer.He was born June 15, 1933, in Arkansas City, Kan., the son of Howard K. and Maryan Smith. He attended school in Arkansas City, where he played tennis, football and baseball. He received a business degree from Kansas University, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He later returned to Kansas University to attend law school and was chosen for the Kansas University Law Review and elected president of his class.Mr. Smith served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight instructor training new pilots.He worked with Lathrop & Gage in Kansas City, Mo. He was on the legal staff at AT&T in Kansas City, Mo., and Omaha, Neb. He later worked for the Sprint Corp. in Kansas City, Kan., where he was vice-president and general counsel of one of its major subsidiaries. He retired from Sprint and joined Craft, Fridkin & Rhyne and specialized in economic development. He was general counsel to the Kansas City Tax Financing Commission. He enjoyed flying and KU sports. He maintained season tickets for basketball and football since he graduated. He was a board member and past president of the Kansas City chapter of the KU Alumni Association. He was a member of a flying club in Kansas City, Mo. He also enjoyed traveling with his wife and grandchildren. He served as an acolyte and lay reader for the Episcopal Church and was a member of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Albuquerque.Survivors include his wife, Marilyn, of the home; a son, John Richard and wife Traci, Denver; two daughters, Stacey Lynn Baumgartner and husband Albert, Albuquerque, and Mary Melinda Dasta and husband John, Kansas City, Mo.; a brother, Philip, Fullerton, Calif.; a sister, Suzann Wilson, Carefree, Ariz.; two grandchildren; Jesse Ryan and Sophia Raquel Smith; and several nieces and nephews.A wake will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at French's Mortuary in Albuquerque.For inquiries, call the mortuary at (505) 823-9400.