Terrell Lee Smith (Terry) passed away at his home in Pagosa Springs, Colo., on Saturday, Dec. 19, with his wife, Charlene, at his side. Terry had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma in September 2020. He was 69.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Anna May (Taylor) Smith, of Kramer, Ind., and sister, Marlena (Smith) Thomas, of Oxford, Ind.
Terry earned his associate degree from Sams Technical Institute (ITT) in 1971. He began an illustrious career in telecommunications working for Western Electric (which became Lucent and later Alcatel-Lucent). His work spanned the areas of quality control, system testing, customer field support and network testing. Terry won multiple awards and honors with the pinnacle being his appointment to Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, the highest attainable rank for a technical employee. He was an acknowledged expert in the telecommunications field and a beloved colleague to many.
Terry retired in 2011, and he and Charlene moved from the Midwest to Pagosa Springs, where he truly loved the canyon view from the back of their home.
He is survived by his wife, Charlene (Turnpaugh) Smith, of 49 years; son Kenneth and his wife, Amanda (Callison), of Boulder, Colo.; son Michael, his wife Erin (Robinson), and grandson Austin, of Montgomery, Ill.; sister Janice (Smith) Larson and her husband Herb, of Attica, Ind.; and brother-in-law, Ed Thomas, of Oxford, Ind.
No funeral service is planned at this time, but his family hopes to reunite friends and family for a celebration of life service when it is once again safe to gather.
