Edgar Dye "Smitty" Smith

USAF Col. Edgar Dye Smith, November 20, 1926—September 28, 2025

Edgar Dye “Smitty” Smith lived the life we read about in history books. A true member of the Greatest Generation, he grew up on a subsistence farm during the Depression and his family’s dedication to education created a path that launched his future into the stratosphere.

Smitty was a wise, kind man who approached life with curiosity and a sense of humor. An avid storyteller, he delighted his grandchildren with dozens of tales that started with, “Did I tell you about the time…?”

He was a 33-year military veteran who served in the Pacific during WWII and in Germany during the Cold War. He also flew 700 hours over 235 days in a yearlong posting to Vietnam during the war. He became a certified military flight instructor in 1955 and added his civilian flight instructor certification in 1970. Smitty kept his instructor rating for single- and multi-engine planes as well as instrument instruction until his 90s.

He held undergraduate and graduate degrees in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology and studied petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma.

Smitty was the fourth of five boys born to Arthur Perry Smith and Matilda Spivey Smith in Farmhaven, Mississippi. He attended grade school there, and in 1941 moved to live with his Grandmother Spivey to attend Canton High School where he played first-string basketball. In 1944, he wanted to join the U.S. Navy, but his mother insisted he graduate high school first, for which he was forever thankful. He earned his final high school credits at Hinds Junior College and reported to boot camp in October, just shy of his 18th birthday.

His first Navy posting was on the USS Biloxi which left out of San Francisco to escort aircraft carriers along the coast of Japan. Shortly after the atomic bombs ended WWII, the Biloxi sailed into Nagasaki and brought the first Allied prisoners out of Japan. The Biloxi also delivered occupation troops to several Japanese ports.

His stint on the Biloxi ended when he was awakened at midnight and told he had 10 minutes to transfer to the USS Vanderburgh, where he was assigned to be a refrigeration mechanic but did not know anything about refrigeration mechanics. He taught himself in a week and beat out another sailor for the job — and a promotion.

The Vanderburgh remained at anchor in Hiro Wan Bay for several months. A key story in the Smith family lore is that during one of his many shore visits in Japan, Smitty was able to purchase a Japanese sniper rifle for two packs of American cigarettes. The ship finally headed back to the United States on a harrowing 48-day journey that included a typhoon, running out of fresh water, and getting lost on the way to Hawaii.

Smitty was discharged from the Navy in July 1946 and returned to Farmhaven where he wired homes and re-enrolled in Hines Junior College. In 1947, he worked for Carter Oil Company for a year before enrolling in the University of Oklahoma for a petroleum engineering degree.

He left college in 1952 for the Air Force and pilot training in Marana Army Air Field in Arizona, where he soloed in the T-6 Texan after just 14 hours of flight training. He would always say that the most important thing that happened at Marana was meeting the love of his life, Molly McCracken, on a blind date. They married on March 14, 1953, and remained together for 70 years until Molly’s passing on November 6, 2023.

During his time in the Air Force, Smitty and Molly moved more than 20 times, evidenced by all the moving tags stuck to their furniture. Notable postings for Smitty and his family were Bitburg Air Force Base in Germany; Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tenn.; Edwards and Norton Air Force Bases in southern California; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Also, Molly and their three boys lived in Honolulu during Smitty’s Vietnam deployment.

Smitty flew more than 20 different aircraft during his lifetime, favoring the T-33 and the C-130. He also worked on the Dyna-Soar, a 1960s-era precursor to the space shuttle.

He retired from the Air Force in 1979 after serving as vice commander of AEDC for two years. Smitty and Molly bought a home on Tims Ford Lake, where many memories of holidays and summers on the lake were made. Smitty flew as a private pilot for about 15 years before fully retiring and taking up golf.

He bought his first set of clubs from the want ads and played 18 holes three times a week at AEDC. Smitty and Molly moved to the Heritage in Brentwood in 2007, where he played nine holes twice a week at Spencer Creek with a regular group of seniors for another 10 years. He then took up bicycling, logging rides most days until just a few years ago.

He was predeceased by his parents, his wife and his four brothers.

He is survived by his beloved children, Randal H. Smith and wife Sandra, Gregory D. Smith and wife Jan Read, and Gary T. Smith and wife, Rebecca; fond sisters-in-law Sally Durfey and Sandra M. Jacobsen; eight grandchildren: Stuart (Jiyoung Ryu), Thyra (Tom Rowley), Lee, Jason (Karen), Sam, Keanan (Jessica Indyk), Bradley (Katlin) and Shannon, as well six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, October 10, 2025, at Middle Tennessee Veterans Cemetery, 7931 McCrory Lane, Nashville. Williamson Memorial in Franklin, Tenn., is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of your choice.