Local veteran who survived attack at Pearl Harbor dies at 101

BEAVERCREEK — A local veteran who survived the attack at Pearl Harbor died at 101 years old last week.

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Elmer Calvin Smith died at 101 years old on Sept. 20 in Middletown while receiving care from Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, according to his obituary.

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Smith was born on March 10, 1923, in Derby, NY, and enlisted in the Army Air Core on March 25, 1941.

He was stationed at Wheeler Field in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Smith survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and fought in many campaigns in both the North and South Pacific, according to his obituary.

He served until October 31, 1945. He received the Bronze Star from General MacArthur and his 502nd Bomb Group received the Legion of Merit from President Roosevelt.

Smith retired from the South Buffalo Railway in the Lackawanna, New York system in 1984.

During retirement, he lived in Bradenton, FL, Trussville, AL, and finally in Beavercreek, OH with his daughter and son-in-law, his obituary stated.

Smith is preceded in death by his parents, brother, three sisters, and his son, Marc D. Smith. His wife, Elinora, passed away in March of 2024.

He is survived by his daughter Karen (Smith) Barger, grandson Brian Eastman and a number of nieces and nephews, according to his obituary.

Smith will be laid to rest in Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville Alabama.

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