Obituary of Thomas William Smith

Thomas William Smith, 72, of West Melbourne, FL, earned his angel wings on Monday, December 4th, surrounded by his loving family. Tom was the son of the late Robert & Elva Smith, and grew up in Peabody, Massachusetts. After serving his country in the National Guard, he went on to work for the Peabody Fire Department for 33 years. Being a firefighter was something he felt passionate about and it was also where he started many of his lifelong friendships. He would often attend musters and spend a lot of spare time reading fire department books and magazines. Upon his retirement from the fire department, Tom moved to West Melbourne, where he really never slowed down. He became a devout Catholic and joined the Knights of Columbus – Fr Gabriel Council 3746. The hours he spent with his ‘brother Knights’, working for the council and serving the community, brought him great joy. He will be forever remembered at the Knights Hall as ‘the popcorn man’. Above all else, Tom was a loving and giving man. Tom was an amazing father and friend to both of his daughters. He could always be counted on for everything from hugs and advice, to precise directions to anywhere, as well as the knowledge and ability to fix almost anything. He is survived by his daughters Peggy Flowers, of Hopkinton, NH and Cyndie Paraski, and her husband Gary, of Somersworth, NH, his beloved grandchildren – David Davey & wife Sheena, Ryan Davey & wife Brittany, Kevin Flowers, Brendan Dion, Brianna Smith, Andrew Paraski and Benjamin Paraski, by three great-grandsons, Chase, Nicholas and Desmond. His first great-granddaughter is due to arrive in early 2018. He always had lots of high-fives for his grandsons and hugs for his princess. In addition, Tom is survived by his loving sister, and close friend, Jean Fierro, and her husband Jeff, of Palm Bay, FL. A gathering of family and friends will be on Friday, December 8, 2017 from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Ammen Family Cremation and Funeral Care, 1001 S. Hickory Street, Melbourne, FL.  His Funeral Mass will be on Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 9:00 am at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1626 Oak Street, Melbourne, FL. In lieu of flowers, we request that you make a donation in Tom’s name to St. Jude Children’s Hospital at stjude.org