Royce L Smith Sr., 90, of Lenexa, Kansas passed from natural causes on September 1, 2019. He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty, his daughter in law, Cindy and his granddaughter, Jessica. He is survived by his 3 sons Royce Smith Jr of Lenexa, Kansas, Tim Smith of Lewes, Delaware and Bryan (Doris) Smith of Haskell, Arkansas. He had one surviving granddaughter Samantha (Wolfgang) Landzettel, one surviving grandson Tom (Katie) Hart and 3 great granddaughters Vivian, Amelia and Blake.
Royce was born in Protection Kansas on November 6, 1928. His parents were Leroy and Erma Smith.
His childhood was spent in the small farming community of Protection. He lived a joyful life as a child, helping his father in the blacksmith shop. He graduated from Protection High School in 1946. Shortly after graduation, he proudly joined the United States Marine Corps. This began a 24-year lifelong adventure throughout the world.
In 1952, Royce wed Betty J Wright of Kansas City MO. They had a wonderful 55 years together.
Royce’s Marine career meant travel was a constant. Every few years he was transferred to different locations. Hawaii, El Toro and San Diego California, Camp Lejeune North Carolina, and Da Nang Vietnam. At every duty post he explored the local attractions and cultures, always expanding his knowledge of the world. He was actively involved in the churches at every duty station, God was always in his heart.
In March 1970, Royce retired from the Marine Corps with the Navy Achievement Medal, in recognition of his high level of performance. It was a bittersweet moment. He was leaving a beloved way of life in exchange for a new adventure. He returned to his hometown of Protection and after about eight years, he moved to his forever home in Johnson County Kansas.
In retirement, he continued to research one of his lifelong passion of analyzing handwriting. He opened a business conducting personal screenings for human resource departments and he taught courses in this skill at Johnson County Community College and the University of Kansas. He gave lectures on this topic nationwide and in Europe. His other passion was Youth for Understanding, a student exchange program placing high school students from around the world in homes here in the US. He was a host parent as well as an area coordinator for the program.
When time permitted, Royce and his wife Betty spent their time traveling. Europe was a frequent destination. There they visited the homes of students they had hosted from the Youth for Understanding program. After the death of his wife in 2007, Royce satisfied a lifelong dream when he visited Israel, a journey which fulfilled both his faith and his thirst for knowledge.
Royce spent his remaining years at home continuing to research handwriting and spending with his family and friends.
Visitation from 10-11:00 AM and Services at 11 AM Saturday, September 7, 2019 at Olathe Christian Church, 1115 S. Ridgeview Rd., Olathe, KS 66062.