Joseph Howard Smith

Joseph Howard Smith, 81, of Kapolei, HI departed this life on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. He was born to the late Jacob Mac and Antoinette Theresa (Howard) Smith on July 5, 1943 in Detroit, MI.
Joseph, fondly known as Joe, was a career military man and served his country for over two decades as a soldier in the US Army branch of the armed forces. He worked in the pathology lab early in his career and then held various positions in medical laboratory and technology and nuclear medicine until retirement. He first enlisted in 1964 and retired in 1987.
His military career took him around the world starting in Anchorage, AK. He was stationed in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Washington where he retired. He was a proud veteran of the Vietnam War. Joseph was awarded several service medals and ribbons including the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and Army Good Conduct Medal.
Joe was an explorer at heart and all of his military travels and posts nourished it. He loved the tropics and travelled as far afield as Fiji, New Zealand, Thailand, China, Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Joe was a road warrior and drove coast to coast across the United States with his daughters and even drove across five provinces in Canada. Armed with his camera and a boisterous laugh, was an avid photographer who accumulated thousands of slides and photographs of his family, friends, and travels over the years.
He fell in love with Hawaii where he was stationed in the late 1970s and vowed to retire there, which he did in 2019.
Joseph remained strongly connected to his Catholic faith throughout his life. He loved bowling, theatre and performing arts, westerns, and baseball.
He is preceded in death by his parents and four brothers Holsey, Jacob, Ronald, and Maurice.
He leaves to honor his memory, three daughters, Michelle, Kristin, and Andrea; two grandchildren, Akyanna and Elijah; his youngest brother, Gerald; close friends Roxanne Erskine (of more than 40 years) and Elmer Esmeralda; as well as a host of nieces and nephews.