Thomas John Smith

Thomas John Smith, DDS, MS, JD, FCLM, 82, of Fort Laramie, WY, passed away on March 3, 2023, in Torrington, WY.                                                                                                                                                     

Thomas was born in Toledo, OH, to Earl Piatt Smith and Elizabeth (“Betty”) Jane (Corey) Smith on June, 7, 1940. He grew up and graduated from high school in Northern Ohio, after which he married Charlotte Marietta (Gray) Smith on August 13, 1960, in Northfield, OH.                     

An alumnus of Western Reserve University with BS and DDS degrees and Case Western Reserve University with a postgraduate MS, Thomas practiced dentistry for approximately 16 years. While doing so, he embarked on a distinguished career in dental education, including at Oral Roberts University, where his engagement of students outside of the classroom—whether on the basketball court or in his home after joining them to watch Friday night high school football games—often hearkened back to his own significant involvement in high school athletics while underscoring his love for them.                                                                                                                                   

An advocate for patients throughout his career, Thomas commenced legal studies at around this time, ultimately receiving his JD from William Mitchell College of Law while serving as an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, where his love of teaching was evident in his courses on diagnosis, treatment planning, bioethics, and health law, among others. After a relatively brief period at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, Thomas retired as a tenured professor in the Department of Advanced General Dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Dentistry, where he spent a decade as the associate dean of clinical programs.

In retirement, Thomas drew upon 10 years of construction experience acquired during vacations while in high school and college to develop 70 acres in WY, which he more often than not referred to as “God’s country” in casual conversation. There, he personally constructed a residence and multiple outbuildings of stucco from his own meticulously conceived designs. This meticulousness was also evident in many of Thomas’ hobbies, including fly tying and ammunition reloading. Long the site of many fly fishing expeditions for Thomas, WY also became the place where he not only would regularly enjoy target practice with friends and family, including with black powder weapons, but also took up hunting, primarily for antelope.

Apart from his love for his students, teaching, and WY and the opportunities it affords, Thomas enjoyed the American West more broadly and counted Santa Fe among his favorite vacation destinations.

Thomas is survived by his brother, Doug Smith; three sons and their wives; and six grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Earl James Smith; and wife, Charlotte Marietta Smith.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 North Main Street, Sylvania, OH. Interment will follow at Toledo Memorial Park, also in Sylvania.

Memorial contributions can be made in Thomas’ memory to one of the following organizations: Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, MI, or the Mises Institute in Auburn, AL. Online condolences to ReebFuneralHome.com.

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