Thomas Vernon Smith

Thomas "Tom" Vernon Smith, 74, passed away from COPD related complications on Sunday, March 14th, 2021.

Born in Vancouver, Washington, Tom was a Vietnam War Navy veteran who served aboard the USS Enterprise and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal. After spending several decades in Cave Junction, Oregon, where he was a reporter for the Illinois Valley News, Tom moved to Lincoln City, Oregon to be closer to his family, where he had a second career as a gaming inspector.

Throughout his life, Tom enjoyed adventure, photography, amateur film making, and was a gifted cartoonist.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Alberta Maxine Hedley and Mertis Boyd Hedley, as well as an infant son, Conan Boyd Smith. He is survived by his children, Kimberly Rebekah Janik (nee Smith) and Logan Allan Smith (Nichole), as well as his grandchildren, Anya, Andie, Degen, Skyden, Aussie and Coy.

Burial will be at Laurel Cemetery in Cave Junction, Oregon.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, a memorial service will be held at a later date when friends and family can gather safely. The family requests that expressions of sympathy take the form of sharing photographs or stories from Tom’s life as he touched so many people. Please contact remembertovos@gmail.com if you would like to be included when a date is set for a future celebration of life, or to share your remembrances."