Obituary of Russell M. Smith

Russell Mulford Smith, 86, of Whiting passed away on Sunday morning, February 13, 2022. Born in Neptune, New Jersey, he lived in Wall Township and North Palm Beach, Florida before moving to Whiting in 2016.

Russell earned his BS in Industrial Engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, PA and worked at Jersey Central Power and Light.  He reached the level of District Superintendent in the Point Pleasant office. He loved outdoor sports and was an avid hunter and saltwater fisherman.  He went small game hunting with his beagles and white tail deer hunting in the Pine Barrens with his hunting club. He caught wild salmon and halibut in Alaska, blue marlin and mahi-mahi in Hawaii and a 300-pound bigeye tuna in the Hudson Canyon off of New Jersey. After retiring to Florida, he continued big game fishing on his boat the Ginrus catching sailfish.

Russell was predeceased by his parents, Willard and Marion Russell Smith and his loving wife of almost 64 years, Virginia Donato Smith. He is survived by his sons, Russell Mark and his wife Caryn, Lance Brian, and his wife Susan; 3 grandsons, Andrew and his wife Ashley, Russell Jr. and his wife Elizabeth, and Kevin and his wife Katie; his great grandson, Connor Smith; and his niece and nephews, Elizabeth Hildebrandt, William Brisley and Brett Beech.

Visitation will be held at the Clayton &McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Saturday, February 19, 2022, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. A service will be held at 11:00 AM at the end of the visitation.  Entombment will follow at Old Tennent Cemetery, 454 Tennent Road, Manalapan Township. For more information, directions, or condolence messages to the family visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.