Henry Oliver Smith Jr.

MARANA, Ariz. – Henry Oliver Smith, Jr., a.k.a. “Ho”, passed away on July 19, 2025, at his home in Marana, Ariz.

He was born on July 31, 1955, in Worcester, Mass., to Henry O. Smith, Sr. and Mary Lane Smith. He was the first of three boys, followed by Dana and Todd.

Ho was an avid skier from childhood. He enjoyed tennis and eventually developed into a devoted runner. He got the travel bug as a teenager in 1973 after traveling to Europe with his father.

He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and spent a life altering semester abroad in Kenya. He continued to recall this as the best time of his life, recounting his stories from there to everyone who would listen, and planned to revisit there later this year.

Ho went on to earn a Master of Business Administration at University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

He married Jane Funkhouser in 1979 and was the very proud father of four amazing boys, Henry III, twins Jim and Jon, and Will. While they were young, he traveled extensively with his boys to Norway, Costa Rica, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Canada, England, Germany, France, and Spain.

He began his career at Bank of Boston and worked abroad in Asuncion, Paraguay (1981-’84), La Paz, Bolivia (1984-’85) and Douala, Cameroon (1985-’86). Abroad, he developed a love of the Spanish language. When his first son Henry (Dec. 25, 1983 – Nov. 25, 1985) died in 1985, he moved back to the states and began his career at Pumping Services, Inc. in Middlesex, N.J., becoming President and creating an ESOP to benefit all of his employees.

He lived in Milford, N.J., then moved to Pittstown, N.J., where he took pride in renovating an old farmhouse property inside and out. Today, his son Jon farms this same land.

Ho grew up spending summers in Mere Point with his parents and brothers and many aunts, uncles and cousins, making lifelong friends of all the other lucky inhabitants of this community. He continued to spend summers there throughout his life. This was his true heaven on earth.

His passion was cooking, especially for others. He loved all things food with leg of lamb at the top of the list, but his favorite meal was a cheeseburger, especially one cooked over a fire on an island picnic.

Ho developed a deadly form of Merkel Cell skin cancer in 2000, finally beating it in 2005, when he met Trish Gerry at Mere Point. They married in 2009 and lived in Annandale, N.J., until 2019, when they retired to Marana, Ariz. They loved hiking and biking in New Jersey and Maine, and this became a key component of their decision to move to Arizona. They continued to return to Mere Point for the summer months to enjoy friends and family. They took annual trips to East Sandwich on Cape Cod to visit Ho’s best childhood friend, Jon Shaw, and to Edisto, S.C., and Berkeley Springs, W.Va., with Trish’s family. They went abroad regularly on many family trips, visiting the Dominican Republic, Spain, Ireland, France, Costa Rica, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Egypt, Mexico, Germany, Czech Republic, Nevis, Croatia and Canada. One of his lifetime goals was to hike the Grand Canyon with his family, which he accomplished in 2017. Once in Arizona, they took advantage of the National Parks system, visiting Bryce, Zion, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton.

Ho developed Parkinson’s in 2015. His positive attitude and exercise regimen kept him going until he succumbed to circulation issues caused by the very radiation that saved his life from the Merkel Cell. Despite his challenges he remained unbelievably optimistic. When he could no longer run, he hiked and biked, and when he could no longer hike and bike, he used an erg rowing machine. He continued perfecting his study of Spanish in retirement. He was everyone’s role model. He loved life and took advantage of every opportunity to enjoy his friends and family.

His last trip to Canada, visiting Alexandria Bay, the 1000 Islands, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec, included a visit to his alma mater, St. Lawrence University, where he made several lifelong friends and where he started his love of travel and people and culture.

Ho is survived by wife, Trish; younger brothers Dana and wife Tina, Todd and partner Sharon; son, Jim and wife Rebecca and granddaughter Pippi; son, Jon and partner Jenna; son, Will and wife Katie and unborn grandson; nieces and nephews Ollie, Bini, Sara, Katy, Jack, Caroline, Jane, Liza, Pete, John, Jimmy, and Tom.

We look forward to a celebration of his life at Mere Point next summer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Ho’s memory to

Doctors Without Borders,

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) or

Death With Dignity.