Ray Clayton Smith

Oct 29, 1920 - Jan 28, 1995

Ray Clayton Smith, a World War II veteran and former Larchmont resident, died of a stroke yesterday at Paoli (Pa.) Memorial Hospital. He was 74. Mr. Smith was born Oct. 29, 1920, to Ray Carleton Smith and Ethel Markel Smith in South Bend, Ind., where he was raised and educated.

Mr. Smith continued his education at Purdue University, During World War II, Mr. Smith served in the Army's 106th Infantry Division. He was a lieutenant in the 591st Field Artillery Battalion and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he returned to Purdue, where he graduated in 1947, with a degree in chemical engineering.

For many years, Mr. Smith served as vice president of marketing at Sinclair Petrochemicals Inc. in New York City. In addition, he was executive vice president of Sinclair Koppers Co. in Pittsburgh. Later, Mr. Smith served as vice president of Styrene Products, ARCO Polymers Inc. in Philadelphia. He retired in 1978.

In 1946, he and Beth Drozda were married in Vienna, Austria. From 1953 to 1968, the couple lived in Larchmont.

He was a member of the Purdue University Alumni Association, 106th Infantry Association, ARCO Retirees and Triangles Fraternity.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by a son, Clayton Matthew of Louisville, Colo.; a daughter, Elizabeth of Seattle; a brother, Keith of Benton Harbor, Mich.; three sisters, Mary Lois Johnson of De Land, Fla., Maxine Osborne of Birmingham, Mich., and Joan Merriman of Dallas; and a grandchild.

The Vincent C. Alleva Funeral Home of Paoli, Pa., is handling the arrangements

Sources: Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com

08/01/2025 EJS