It was some 86 years ago when Walter A. Smith and his beautiful bride, Nancy Rebecca delivered Walter Clarence Smith into the world.    Playing amongst the “treasures” of the Kingsbury Run Dump fueled Walter’s passion for learning how things worked.  His gift of being able to turn used parts into working technical, mechanical, and visual masterpieces was honed during a time in Cleveland, Ohio when the world was at war for the second time, food was rationed, and city-wide black outs were normal.  

His early years were spent on 79th and Kinsman where his neighborhood friends were “Ray Ray,” “Moon,” and the German and Irish immigrants from Europe.  Just like most kids, the motto was “if you like what I like let’s be friends!”   

As an only child for the first 20 year of his life, his mother was his everything.  As a homemaker with a singing voice like Marian Anderson, she’d read to him, cooked amazing meals, bought him his first chemistry set, comforted him, and encourage him to be the best he could be.  Before she died when he was 13 years old, she made him promise that he would finish school.  

While attending St. Edward’s parochial school he converted to Catholicism, and then attended Cathedral Latin High School.  A trailblazer as one of the school’s four Black students, “Walt C” was a trombone player in the band, and football player his freshman year, and then school record holder and statewide threat as a hurdler and quarter miler on the track team.  Keeping his promise to his mother he graduated in 1954.

While matriculating through his middle and high school years he embraced the work ethic his father instilled in him, and enjoyed the rewards from delivering papers to over 125 customers for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and then working at Agnew’s Body Shop.  Also, being the son of Cleveland’s “Snake Hips” (a tap dancer for touring acts like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton that performed in Cleveland) he appreciated the arts.  

When he and his friends happened to go Karamu House (the oldest African American theater in the country) he became one of the original members of The Camera Club and was part of the production crew for several of the plays.  

… but more importantly, it was at Karamu House where he found “Joy!” 

He was 16 and Anelia Joyce Stokes was 14.   She was an honor student, in student government, a cheerleader for the Glenville High Tarblooders, and played clarinet in the marching band. He’d reached “the unreachable star!”

For the next 60 years during his journey with Joy, he took courses at John Carroll University, and then was afforded the opportunity to carry the flag at his graduation ceremony as an Airman for the United States Air Force.  While on active duty, he and Joy got married August 23, 1958, and soon after he started his 39-year career with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) retiring as a Sector Field Office Chief.  Proving that diversity works, he was known for his example of being fair to all his employees, and for giving opportunities to those that might have been overlooked in historically “traditional” hiring environments.  His commitment to practices of humanity didn’t just exist in his workplace but extended into roles he played in the community.  Be it building houses for Habitat for Humanity, board positions with Catholic Charities and Fatima Catholic Church, one of the founders of the Living Room Learning Investment Club, or his continued support of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, The Couples Club, and Karamu House, Walter is an example of service in the workplace and for his fellow man.

However, nothing was more important to him than his family.  He provided an environment where the love of his life felt safe, protected, respected, supported, celebrated, and loved unconditionally.   He gave them all an opportunity to dream.

Famous for having his cup of tea and telling his loved ones to “THINK,” Walter and Joy reared their children in Shaker Heights, Ohio where there was encouragement, consequences, expectations, teaching moments, tough love, support, and a daily loving presence at all events, large and small.   He provided a catholic and faith based spiritual foundation, access to experiences, opportunities, and people from different cultures, races, religions, and economic backgrounds.   He taught them to understand that we all have more things in common than differences, and that being different was not a fault or a problem. It was a chance to make a new friend and learn something new! 

Having little interest in being in front of the spotlight, “Walt C’s” superpower was providing not only the spotlight, but the stage, the venue, the production crew, and access to the teachers, coaches, role models, mentors, and experiences for life.  He showed his family how to be a husband, father, son, uncle, cousin, and friend.

An avid bowler, lover of science fiction novels, James Bond and Jeopardy, Sam’s Club hot dogs, Arby’s Jamocha Shakes, and Consumer Reports magazine, he built the family’s first 8 televisions, model airplanes and ships in his “world famous” workbench in the basement, flew kites along Lake Erie, followed the Tuskegee Airmen and enjoyed attending the Flying Blue Angels air shows.  He believed in the dream of romance and having a playlist that would include Broadway, Pop/R&B, Country, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.  While traveling through Europe, Asia, Russia, and North and South America, he found his “happy place” is in the memories of Diamond Head in Hawaii.   

His life, a story of triumph and grace, showcased his passion to build, create, and repair as he used his hands and his mind to leave this world a little better than it was when he got here. 

Walter departed this life on December 7, 2022 and was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Anelia Joyce Smith, his brother Brian Keith Smith, a son, and twins Shelly Ann and Sheryl Rebecca Smith.

He leaves to mourn three children, Eric Walter Smith (partner Bridget C Lewis) Steven Troy Smith (wife Elizabeth A.), and Beverly Joy Malone (husband Keilan C); one sister Aminah Joy Higgins (nee Smith) (husband Anthony); four grandchildren, Eric Lawrence and Devin Walter Smith, Gianna Joy and Osei Tadeo Malone.  He is also mourned by his special friend Lois Roberts, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.

Humbly submitted, The Family