Jeannette councilman Ron Smith, dead at 76, described as 'true asset' to city

Renatta Signorini, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

May 14—Jeannette Councilman Ron Smith, a longtime high school football coach, died Friday after a battle with cancer.

His two daughters remembered him as a "gentle giant" who was honest and fair, attributes Mayor Curtis Antoniak said spilled over into council chambers.

Antoniak visited Smith, 76, Thursday before council's regular monthly meeting and Smith asked how the city was doing. He had been participating by phone in voting sessions.

"He was such a true asset to our city, our community," Antoniak said. "He's just a good guy. He touched so many lives."

Smith coached high school football and other sports at Greensburg Central Catholic and Penn-Trafford, where he also taught physical education and social science. He served as coach at several other high schools in the area and Carnegie Mellon University.

He retired in 2007 after 38 years of coaching.

Daughter Jennifer Lubecki of East Huntingdon said she attended all of his high school football games as a young child and gave him tips afterwards.

"He would humor me," she said. "I had my little clipboard and he would let me watch game film with him."

Daughter Amanda Stanislaw of Hempfield said his former players have been reaching out recently, expressing appreciation for his guidance that went beyond passing the football.

"A lot of them looked up to him as a father figure," she said.

Smith, a Democrat, was appointed to a vacant council seat in December 2014 then ran the following year for a full term. He won a second term in 2019 and was in charge of overseeing the public works department.

"He did the right thing while in office," Antoniak said. "He treated everybody the same, no matter who you were."

Smith's daughters agreed.

"He's a very honest man and he sees both sides of the story," Stanislaw said. "You know where you stand with him."

They fondly remembered trips to the beach as children and adults. Smith enjoyed spending time with his three grandchildren and attending their sporting events and activities.

"He loved having all of us at the house all the time," Stanislaw said.

In addition to his daughters and grandchildren, Smith is survived by wife Laura, to whom he had been married for more than 50 years. John V. Graziano Funeral Home in Jeannette will be handling arrangements. Antoniak said visitation will be held 2-4 and 6-9 p.m. Monday. A funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Ascension Church in Jeannette.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .