Richard John Smith

Richard “Dick” John Smith passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, at home in Easton, Maryland, surrounded by family. Dick was born November 5, 1942, in Erie County, Pennsylvania, to John Henry and Gladys Otteni Smith. He earned degrees from Gannon and Johns Hopkins universities. After college, Dick accepted a job at the Department of Defense, where over the next 30+ years he built a successful career and forged lasting friendships.

Dick led an active life. He ran marathons, bicycled across the U.S., played golf, practiced and taught yoga, and walked to Starbucks for chai every morning he could. His volunteer work included building houses for Habitat for Humanity, volunteering for Partners in Care, serving on the Board of Evergreen Cove Holistic Learning Center, and being a founder of A Community of Transformation. Dick was generous, kind, intelligent, and eager to be of service.

Dick and his wife Katherine enjoyed retired life in Annapolis and Easton, Maryland, filled with good friends, spiritual exploration, teaching and practicing Reiki healing, and occasional adventures in ballroom dancing and the arts. They traveled to many places abroad and in the States, including Argentina, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, California, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, France, and other European countries. They enjoyed annual beach visits and Washington state reunions with the Johnson/Jones families. Gatherings with daughters Julia and Rebecca (Pablo), and later the birth of grandson Eliot (now 18 years old), warmed Dick’s heart and enriched his world.

Dick is survived by his wife Katherine Johnson; daughter Rebecca Smith Hurd (Pablo Ramirez); daughter Julia K. Smith; grandson Eliot Hunter-Watts; step-daughter Ashleigh Creveling (Jimme Pilkerton); brother-in-law Jerry Johnson and family; sister-in-law Ellen Jones (Tom) and their extended family; and Majik the cat.

A celebration of Dick’s life will take place Saturday, March 21, at 2:00 PM at Third Haven Friends Meeting House in Easton, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Habitat for Humanity Choptank (habitatchoptank.org), Third Haven Friends Meeting (thirdhaven.org), and Talbot Hospice (talbothospice.org).