SMITH

Steven J. Smith, 69, of Pinehurst, passed away at his home Sunday, April 18, 2010, with his family at his side.
He was born Sept. 24, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pa., son of the late Clarence Smith and the late Margaret O’Connor Smith. He spent his entire childhood in Woodstown, N.J., and graduated from Woodstown High School in 1958. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial management. At MIT, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, lettered in basketball three years, and was selected to both the Quadrangle Club and the Beaver Key Club.
In June 1962, Steve joined Whirlpool Corporation, where he held a variety of human resources positions until 1970, when he joined Engelhard Industries as corporate director of personnel. In 1972, Mr. Smith was hired by Ryan Homes, a large, national home-builder listed on the New York Stock Exchange, as division manager, Richmond, Va., and subsequently moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, as regional manager. In 1978, Mr. Smith moved to Pittsburgh, Pa., where, after holding a series of senior management positions, he was named president of Ryan Homes in January 1984. In February 1989, Smith retired, and one year later, moved to Pinehurst.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Rebecca Reed Smith; his son, Scott Smith, and his wife, Laura, of Cary, and their three children, Charlie (15), Andrew (13), and Catherine (9); and daughter, Jennifer Findley, of Stowe, Vt., and her husband, Gregg Findley, of Sewickley, Pa., and their daughters, Molly (21) and Lucy (18). He is also survived by two sisters, Eileen Christian of Abington, Pa., and Carolie (Joe) Sharkey, of Wynnewood, Pa.
Steve was a member of Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley, Pa., Pinehurst Country Club, Pinehurst, and Country Club of North Carolina, where he and Becky have resided for 11 years. He was a member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, Southern Pines. Steve was also a member of the Tin Whistles.
Steve was elected to the board of FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital in 1992 and served until 1997. He served as board chairman in 1997. In 1998 and 1999 he served as chairman of the board of FirstHealth of the Carolinas. In 1999, Mr. Smith was elected to the Village Council of Pinehurst and was designated mayor by the Village Council. In 2003, he became the first directly elected mayor of Pinehurst, where he served until 2007. From 2008 to 2010, he returned to the FirstHealth of the Carolinas Board of Directors. In Pinehurst, he was a founding member of the Bill Jones Foundation and its first president.
Mr. Smith had previously been a member of the boards of directors of Ryan Homes, Equibank, Union National Bank, Integra Bank, Interstate Hotels Company, The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania, The Pittsburgh Public Theater, and the D.T. Watson Rehabilitation Hospital- all located in Pittsburgh, Pa. He was also a past board member of Hughes-Parker Industries, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Joachim Machinery Company, Indianapolis, Ind., and Lesko Industries, Albion, Pa., and a trustee of Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Friends are invited to attend a celebration of the life of Steven J. Smith at Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, 330 S. May St., Southern Pines, Saturday, April 24, at 4 p.m. Interment was previously held for family members only.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FirstHealth Hospice, 150 Applecross Road, Pinehurst, NC 28374 or to The Village Arboretum, Steve Smith Woodland Garden, P.O. Box 398, Pinehurst, NC 28370.
Condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com
Boles Funeral Home and Crematory of Southern Pines is serving the family.