Thomas A. Smith

REV. THOMAS A. SMITH Of Pittsburgh died on January 15, 2019, at the age of 88. He was the son of the late Orie O. and Avanell (Drummond) Smith, and brother of the late Frances U. Guch. He was graduated from Punxsutawney High School, Pennsylvania State University, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary, and was ordained in 1957 by the Pittsburgh Synod, Lutheran Church in America. From 1957 - 1992, he served as Pastor of St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh; Christ Lutheran Church, Lancaster; St. John Lutheran Church, Bloomsburg; and St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Brooklyn, and he was Headmaster of St. Stephen Parochial School, Brooklyn. Following his retirement he served as Interim Pastor for seven Synod congregations. Over the years he served as a delegate to the Lutheran World Federation in Germany, Finland, and Brazil, to the Citizens Exchange Corps in the Soviet Union, and to the International Liturgical Society in Paris. He participated in summer ecumenical study programs in Germany, Austria, Spain, Greece, Malta, Egypt, Israel, England, Russia, Thailand, Italy, Bulgaria, France, Poland, Hungary, Jamaica, Switzerland, Crete, and Barbados. He was a member of the American Society of Church Architecture, American Stained Glass Association of America, and the Organ Historical Society, and was a board member of the Marien-Heim Retirement Center, Brooklyn. In 2001 he established a scholarship fund at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, where he was awarded membership in the Mount Nittany Society in 2008. In 1956 he was instrumental in establishing St. Augustine's House, a Lutheran monastery in Michigan. He was a pioneer in the Liturgical and Sacramental movement in the Lutheran Church and with American and European theologians prior to Vatican II. He was active in the restoration of several 19th century tracker pipe organs in the Virgin Islands and in New York. Pastor Smith's funeral will be held on Wednesday, February 6 at noon at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh 15206. No prior visitation. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Friends of Music at Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 or to The Thomas A. Smith Scholarship Fund, Pennsylvania State University, 2583 Gateway Drive, Suite 130, State College, PA 16801. Professional Services trusted to D'Alessandro Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd., Lawrenceville. www.dalessandroltd.

Thomas A. Smith

September 3, 1930 - January 15, 2019