Vern Smith, a U.S. Navy veteran and resident of Good Samaritan Village in Kissimmee, turned 100 on April 12.
Originally from Alpena, Mich., Smith has lived in the village since 1987, and his son Dane joined him there some 12 years ago.
During World War II he served as a yeoman (administrator) in support of a dive bomber squadron. He recalled going up on several realistic training flights.
“You see in the movies dive bombers flying wildly about the sky, that is all Hollywood,” he said. “The plane has to be flown in a precise manner and when the dive (air) brakes under the wings are deployed, you slow down and almost stall.”
His aircraft carrier was crossing through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean when the war ended in August 1945. After returning home, he was offered an opportunity to train as an X-ray technician by the local hospital.
Eventually, he would become the secondever president of the Michigan Society of Radiologic Technologists. Unfortunately, that honor was a ways off in the future when he was recalled back into the Navy for the Korean War. He served again on aircraft carriers, mostly in the Mediterranean Sea during that time.
When asked what the secret to a long life was, Vern replied, “I am a child of the Great Depression, and from that, I learned the key was to do everything in moderation.”
Dane Smith says his father was a great example to him growing up, and they are both good storytellers.
“We worked on several projects together when I was growing up, including building a cottage on Lake Huron,” Dane said. “We also built a sailboat in our basement, but we forgot that we had to get it out somehow,” Vern said, laughing.
Vern has stayed very active for most of his life. He taught country line dancing into his 80s and played golf into his 90s.
Travis Staples, Senior Director at the Kissimmee Village, stated what an honor it was for him and the staff to serve residents like Vern Smith later in their lives. Coincidently, the Good Samaritan Society, the parent organization of Kissimmee’s Good Samaritan Village, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
