Ronald Smith

Ronald Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, May 30, 1944, to the late Irene Washington (nee Smith) and Richard Scott. Ron accepted Christ at an early age, and was baptized into the Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church. Later in life he would join the Good Shepherd Baptist Church, and later the Mt. Sinai Temple Baptist Church. . Educated in the Baltimore City school system, Ron graduated from City College High School in 1963, and entered what was then Morgan State College in fall of that year. In 1966, his college education was interrupted by the military draft. After serving honorably in the United States Army, receiving commendations and earning the rank of First Lieutenant, Ron returned to Morgan in 1971. He switched majors from chemistry to business management, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1973. In 1970, Ronald met Robernette Johnson, a librarian in the Enoch Pratt Library system. They married in 1971, and from this union was born a daughter, Tamara. Though the marriage ended in divorce, the couple remained friends, sharing parenting duties and pride in their daughter’s accomplishments. During his lifetime, Ron held a number of jobs, including chemist at the Bethlehem Steel plant in Sparrows Point (Baltimore), budget analyst for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and as plant technician for Proctor & Gamble in Hunt Valley, Maryland. After his retirement from Proctor & Gamble, Ron was diagnosed with diabetes, and began a long fight with the disease and its many complications. He was called from labor to reward in the early hours of Saturday, April 22, 2017. A proud member of Omega Psi Phi, Pi Chapter, Ron was a man with a ready smile and quick wit who made friends wherever he went. He will be missed by many. He leaves to cherish his memory his loving and devoted daughter, Tamara, beloved sister Joan Gwynn, nieces Teddra Gwynn Nutter and Teddie Michel Gwynn-Robinson; great-niece Jada Quin Burman, uncle Walter Smith, aunts Christina Cooper, Lorraine Smith, Sarah Wilson, and Leola Smith; nephews-in-law Cecil Nutter and Timothy Robinson, god-brother Michael Johnson, former wife, Robernette Smith, “adopted niece” Dawn Henriques, and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Ronald Smith

May 30, 1944 - April 22, 2017