John Dana Smith
John Dana Smith, a financial adviser for Cabot Lodge Securities and a sportsman of broad interests, died in Vero Beach, Fla., on Sept. 5. He was 69. The cause of death was coronary artery disease linked to Agent Orange defoliant exposure during the Vietnam War, his family said.
Mr. Smith, who was known to friends and family as Dana, had lived in East Hampton full time from 1985 to 2008. His family said that his death was sudden and came as he was sitting under his favorite tree by Parker’s Pond on his Prosperity Farm property in Vero Beach.
Locally, he served as a secretary of the East Hampton Lions Club and was a member of the Devon Yacht Club and the Amagansett Beach Association. He also belonged to the Mashomack Fish and Game Club of Pine Plains, N.Y.
He was a master sporting clays shooting champion, an avid bridge player, and a co-owner of Reddog Kennel, a producer of champion Nova Scotia duck-tolling retrievers. With his shooting skills, he was in high demand to shoot for hunting retriever tests on Long Island and in Florida, his family said.
Mr. Smith served in the Army from March 1966 to August 1968. He finished his tour of duty in Vietnam with the National Defense Service, Vietnam Service, Vietnam Campaign, and Good Conduct Medals. Mr. Smith served in the Army as a combat engineer, declining a battlefield commission during his tour after deciding he would return to civilian life.
His civilian life included a contract as a bodyguard for the prince of Morocco, an extended exploration of the Australian outback, and a hunting safari across the Kenyan countryside.
His adventures provided countless stories and legends that thrilled people for years, from kids around Cub Scout campfires to youth soccer teams he coached to his children and their friends, his family said.
They said that Mr. Smith had a brilliant mind, which made him a fearsome and respected competitor on the Vero Beach bridge circuit. “He was a mentor, a friend, a spiritual adviser, a confidant, and a source of wisdom to all of his friends and family, and sometimes even virtual strangers. His family and friends will all miss his humor, his wit, his compassion, his love, his advice on paleo living, and his daily anarcho-libertarian email updates from the Lew Rockwell website,” they said.
He was born on June 10, 1947, in New York City to Gregory B. Smith and the former Margaret Skinner, and grew up there and in Washington, D.C. He attended the St. David’s School in Manhattan, the Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn., and Columbia University.
He married the former Marjorie Webb on May 18, 1974.
Mr. Smith is survived by his wife, who is known as Mardie, and two children, Hannah Smith Walsh of Colleyville, Tex., and Simon Bradstreet Smith of Long Beach. A sister, Barbara Skjelfjord of Hilton Head, S.C., and three grandchildren also survive. A brother, Gregory Smith, died before him.
A service was held on Friday at the Thomas Lowther Funeral Home in Vero Beach. A meeting for worship and burial will take place at the Rancocas Friends Meeting in Rancocas, N.J., in April. The day is to be determined.
His family suggested memorial donations to the Canterbury School, 101 Aspetuck Avenue, New Milford, Conn. 06776, or online at cbury.org/give.