Harold A. Smith, retired aeronautical engineer
Harold A. Smith passed away peacefully Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, just three months shy of his 100th birthday, in Millsboro. Born in Portsmouth, England, Feb. 21, 1925, he was the son of Edwin W. and Edith E. Smith (Hutchings). Orphaned at 6, he was graciously taken in by his grandmother, Rosanna Smith.
At 16, he became an apprentice at Airspeed Aircraft Contractors, later acquired by De Havilland Aircraft Company for a five-year term. He was awarded a scholarship for aeronautical engineering in 1943 and was soon promoted to senior draftsman, engaging in design and production with jet-powered aircraft. In 1956, he moved his family to Canada, via the HMS QE I, to work for A. V. Roe Canada, where he designed and wrote proposals for the CF-105 Arrow, the most advanced supersonic interceptor jet aircraft of its era. When the project was canceled in February 1959, Harold was hired by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Georgia to work on a C130-D plane. In 1960, he joined the General Electric Spacecraft Department and moved his family to Pennsylvania, where he continued to work until his retirement in 1989. In GE’s Missile and Space Division, he worked on Landsat satellites and space stations for NASA. He designed and wrote proposals for arms holding solar panels to fold out upon satellites arriving in space.
Harold became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. in 1966. He enjoyed ballroom dancing with his first wife of 32 years, Isobel, and square dancing with his second wife of 28 years, Jane Lou (Janet Louise). After Jane Lou passed, he enjoyed writing, volunteered at a local hospital, participated in research on aging, delivered meals for Meals on Wheels, and was active in his church.
Harold was preceded in death by his beloved Isobel; his second love, Jane Lou; two brothers, George and William; two sisters, Vera Bulley and Edna Bulpin; and a grandson, Jonathon D. Smith. He is survived by three sons, Christopher G. Smith (Ruth), Leslie A. Smith and Francis P. Smith (Sharon); two daughters, Kathleen M. Johnson (Ted) and Brooke Hallowell (Jim); 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. Harold is already greatly missed.
The family will hold a memorial celebration of his life at a later date.
