By Deborah Larsen
John Raymond Smith
John Raymond Smith was born in Rochester, Michigan, on January 3, 1921, the son of Harold and Violet Griffin Smith. He grew up in Rochester and attended Rochester High School. Before the war, John was employed at National Twist Drill & Tool Company in Avon Township. He married Virginia Eckert of Rochester in 1942.
In August 1942, John enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard. He was trained as a machinist’s mate at Buffalo, New York, and Port Huron, Michigan, before attending the Coast Guard’s diesel engine training school at Groton, Connecticut. He was then stationed at Clayton, New York. John was released from military service in December 1945.
After the war, John returned to Rochester and worked at Rochester Plumbing and Heating, retiring after 35 years of service.
John Raymond Smith died at age 67 on April 5, 1988, and was laid to rest at Mount Avon Cemetery.