Smith, Stephen

Description

Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith was born on July 26, 1912, in Port Chester, New York, to Ida Louise Stulen and Dean Culver Smith. He had two brothers Richard and Dean Culver Smith Jr. and was raised and educated in Port Chester. In Rye his family lived at Blind Brook Lodge and were members of the Presbyterian Church. He was a graduate of’ Port Chester High School and Harvard and was working with the New York Life Insurance Company.

He married Miss Jean Campbell Ruggles, daughter of Mrs. Charles A. Ruggles, of 81 Osborn Road, Rye on September 16, 1939, in Rye, New York. A quiet ceremony was performed at home of the bride’s mother by the Rev. John D. Gregory, pastor of the Rye Presbyterian Church. The wedding was to have been held at the church, but plans were changed because of the recent death of the bridegroom’s father, Dean Culver Smith. Dean Culver Smith, Jr., acted as best man for his brother. After wedding trip Mr. and Mrs. Smith resided at the Colbrooke Apartments, in Rye. They would have four children during their marriage.

Stephen enlisted February 12, 1944 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

He completed his basic training at Fort Bragg, NC and served the 393rd Field Artillery Battalion as an instrument operator. The 393rd FA Battalion participated in three major campaigns in the European Theater of Operations (ETO):

It served as an organic part of the 99th Infantry Division (nicknamed the “Battle Babies”), alongside other artillery units like the 370th, 371st, and 372nd Field Artillery Battalions.

It arrived in England in October 1944 and landed in France in November 1944 to support the division’s entry into Germany. The 393rd played a critical role in December 1944. During the German Ardennes-Alsace offensive (Battle of the Bulge), the battalion provided defensive fire for the 99th Division’s infantry regiments (393rd, 394th, and 395th) as they held the “northern shoulder” of the Bulge at Elsenborn Ridge. Later In Central Europe it supported the division’s push across the Rhine River and into the heart of Germany through the spring of 1945.

In 1950, he and his family had moved to Worcester, Ma and he was working as a sales engineer in the abrasives industry. Eventually he would move on to a travel agency working out of Massachusetts. While in Paris as director of a travel agency he was stricken by a heart attack at his hotel room.

Stephen Smith died on September 13, 1972, in France at the age of 60. His remains were brought back to the US and buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, NY

Name: Stephen Smith
Race: White
Age: 28
Birth Date: 26 Jul 1912
Birth Place: Port Chester, New York
Residence Place: Rye, Westchester, New York
Registration Date: 16 Oct 1940
Registration Place: T. Rye, New Jersey, USA
Employer: R. C. Rathbone & Son, Inc
Weight: 160
Complexion: Light
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Blonde
Height: 6′
Next of Kin: Jean Ruggles Smith

Name: Stephen Smith
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 26 Jul 1912
Death Date: 13 Sep 1972
SSN: 057052633
Branch 1: ARMY
Enlistment Date 1: 12 Feb 1944
Release Date 1: 11 May 1946
Enlistment Date 2: 12 Dec 1944

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74102261/marriage…