Harold M Smith
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Harold M. Smith, 93, who served for nearly six decades as a volunteer firefighter in Moorestown, died Tuesday at his home.
"He loved the trucks, he loved the noise, the excitement," said Karl Shelley, the township's fire district commissioner.
Mr. Smith had been the township's oldest volunteer firefighter, serving 59 years with the Relief Engine Company before kidney disease forced him to curtail his activities several years ago. He still remained on the company's active-member roster, however.
Mr. Smith moved to Moorestown in 1927. For 44 years, he earned a living as the superintendent of the Broadacre estate in Moorestown.
As a young man, Mr. Smith had served eight years as a firefighter in his native New Canaan, Conn. He got the job, Shelley said, after proving his climbing ability as a church steeple painter.
A lover of good stories, Mr. Smith had a bubbly personality that made him popular within the department, Shelley said. But Mr. Smith never sought leadership positions, Shelley added.
In addition to his work with the fire department, Mr. Smith singlehandedly operated a nonemergency ambulance service for 30 to 40 years that transported patients to health-care facilities, Shelley said. Mr. Smith also was made a lifetime member of the Moorestown Emergency Squad. And, in 1974, he was named the township's Citizen of the Year.
Mr. Smith was a quietly religious man throughout his life, Shelley said, and was a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Cherry Hill. "He never smoked, I never heard him use a bad word," Shelley said.
Mr. Smith is survived by his wife of 67 years, Esther M.; daughter, Carol V. Graham of Scottsdale Ariz.; son, George T. of Moorestown; six grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren, and two great great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Lewis Funeral Home, 78 E. Main St., Moorestown. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. at the home, followed by the burial at Lakeview Memorial Park, Cinnaminson.
