Obituaries

R.I.P. James M. Smith, Jr., 66

The former Collingswood High School standout quarterback taught high-school marketing classes, wrote grants for low-income kids and left behind a legacy of involvement.

On May 8, Collingswood lost James M. Smith, Jr., a star athlete and high school marketing teacher who returned to his alma mater to help coach, teach and guide young people. He was 66.

Smith was the son of the late Betty and James M. Smith, original owners of Penguin Cleaners, according to an obituary published by Foster-Warne Funeral Home.

A 1966 graduate of Collingswood High School, he earned an athletic scholarship to Delaware Valley College, where he completed his B.S. in business administration in 1970.

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For 32 years, Smith, Jr. taught marketing education at Collingswood, Rumson-Fair-Haven and Vineland High Schools, the notice reads:

He coached both football and track and created school 'stores' where students worked and shopped. In his later years, he became the School-to-Career Coordinator and wrote over two million dollars worth of grants for low-income and students with disabilities.

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He was also a Job Coach for a grant program employing high school students at WaWa. He will forever be missed by his family, friends and students.

Smith is survived by his wife, Kathryn, (nee Pashuck); children Jacquelyn (Tony) Casadei, Andrew (Tanya) and Jillian (Erick) Keller; grandchildren Lindsay, John, Nicole, Jake, Kaleb, Tristan, Ravella, Alden and Jamison; and brothers Joseph and Jeffrey (Gail), among others.


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