- Date Of Birth: January 3, 1928
- Date Of Death: February 19, 2014
- State: Ohio
Daniel E. Smith, 86, of Copeland Oaks, died February 19, 2014 at the Salem Regional Medical Center. Born in Salem on January 3, 1928, he was the son of T. Emerson and Dorothy Chappell Smith. He graduated from Salem High School in 1946. After attending Ohio University and Denison U., he enlisted in the U. S. Army and served with the Second Division in their ski troop and mountain training program in the state of Washington. He was a member of an ordnance group, which was stationed in Korea during that conflict in the 1950’s. He married Jeanine Anne Rians of Peoria, Illinois on February 15, 1954. Together they opened a new business, Daniel E. Smith, Jeweler, in Salem in April of 1956 and served the Salem area for the next 38 years until closing their doors in January of 1994. Mr. Smith was active in community affairs. He was chairman of the board of the Salem Public Library, chairman of the Scholarship Committee of the Salem High School Alumni Association and helped to establish a permanent office as headquarters for records, meetings and newsletter information. He served as president of the Salem Retail Merchants during the downtown improvement program in 1992, and was a member of the board of directors for Charter One of Canton. He also served on the board of the SAFCO organization in Salem and was past president of the Salem Rotary Club. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, a life member of the Salem Elks, the Independent Hose Club and the Salem Historical Society where he was made a citizen of honor in 2012. He was a member of the Catboat Association and the International Guild of Knot Tyers. For many years he was active as a ham radio operator with call sign WB 8 VXY. An avid sailor, he cruised the east coast of the U.S. and enjoyed sailing the Florida Keys. He wrote on the subject of sailing including articles for Wood Boat magazine and authored a book She’ll Cross An OceanIf You Will documenting the accomplishments of one of the world’s foremost fiberglass sailboats. A capable celestial navigator, he was also well versed in marlinspike seamanship. He is survived by his wife, whom he married February 15, 1954; three sons, Timothy Emerson of Boardman, Gregory Rians of Canyon Country, California, Daniel Thaddeus of the home; a brother, Thomas C. Smith of Huber Heights, Ohio; and six grandchildren.
