Samuel B Smith

Samuel Bennett Smith of Ambler (Lower Gwynedd Township), PA, formerly of the Roxborough section of Philadelphia passed away peacefully surrounded by family on June 7, 2025 at the age of 95. Preceded in death by his beloved wife, Agnes (nee Moughan), his parents, John Warren and Gertrude, his siblings,Frank (Eleanor), Mary Jane (John), and Catherine (Bill) and brother-in-law, Al. He leaves behind his loving children, John, Mary, Paul, Joseph (Joni), James, Christopher (Stephanie), and Thomas (Marikit), his sister, Trudy, his 16 grandchildren, Katie, Amy, Michael, Caleb, Kerry, Shannon, Timothy, Brian, Jimmy, Ava, Lincoln, Isabella, Jackson, Wyatt, Aidan, and Liam and his 7 great-grandchildren, Riley, Reagan, Remington, Nora, Nathan, Rosalia, and Massimo.

Sam was a graduate of St. John’s Elementary School and Dobbins Technical High School, Class of 1948. He enlisted in the United States Navy upon graduation and served during the Korean War era from 1948 to 1952. He was mostly stationed defending post-war Europe aboard the USS Tarawa CV-40. This aircraft carrier is now retired at Pearl Harbor, Honolulu,Hawaii. After his military service, Sam worked at Leeds & Northrup, an electric technology company, as an electrical instrument technician for 37 years until his retirement in 1989.

For nearly 60 years, Sam was an active member of the St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ambler and attended mass daily. He particularly enjoyed the quiet time prior to mass where he would sit in a pew and pray. His catholic faith and family were the central focus of his life. Over the years, Sam made four religious pilgrimages to Medjugorje, a small village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to teenagers in 1981. In addition, he enjoyed numerous religious retreats to St. Joseph’s Abbey in Worcester, Massachusetts and Holy Cross Trappist Abbey in Berryville, Virginia. Perhaps his most memorable journey was on February 22, 2007, the day before his 77th birthday, when he climbed Croagh Patrick mountain in the Village of Murrisk, County Mayo, Ireland. Croagh Patrick is considered a holy mountain associated with Saint Patrick with a church on the summit. Sam successfully climbed the 2,507-foot mountain, albeit he required assistance from Mountain Rescue to bring him safely down from the mountain. His 12-hour climb and descent down the mountain still remains part of Irish folklore in the community of Westport, Ireland.

Sam enjoyed watching Thoroughbred Racing, playing Pinochle and a competitive game of Chess. He loved God, his Family, and his Country.

Relatives and friends are invited to join the family to celebrate Sam’s life on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Visitation will begin at 9:15 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 259 Forrest Avenue, Ambler, PA, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. with Fr. James McGuinn, Pastor as celebrant and Msgr. Stephen P. McHenry, Pastor Emeritus as concelebrant. Interment will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, 3301 W. Cheltenham Avenue, Philadelphia, PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you offer a prayer in memory of Sam, and as he was fond of saying, “Make it a Rosary”.