Lt. Col. John L. Smith, to date the oldest person to be born and to have lived in Whitestone, according to his family, died Feb. 25. He was 96.
Born Jan. 29, 1918, he was a lifetime member of the military order Purple Heart of the U.S.A. and a recipient of the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French Republic. Smith was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War.
He is survived by three children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Arrangements were handled by the Martin A. Gleason Funeral Home, at 10-25 150th St. in Whitestone. A mass of Christian burial was held at St. Luke’s R.C. Church.
Interment with full military honors will take place at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
