Wayne "E" Smith

Wayne “E” Smith, PhD, 98, passed away on September 18th, 2026.

Wayne was born on August 26th, 1928 on a rainy day in DeWitt, MO to Ed and Hazel Smith. He was the 5th of 7 children. He moved to Kansas City as a child and graduated from East High School. From there he enlisted in the US Marines and was stationed at Camp Pendleton at Oceanside, California. He then enrolled in Tarkio College where he met his wife, Joyce. They married in 1951 and had three daughters, Jacqueline, Jeanean and Gayla. He went on to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and got his masters and PhD in Physical Chemistry.

After graduating he worked at the Woodriver Refinery in Roxana, Illinois. He then went to the Whiting Refinery in Whiting, Indiana. From there he moved to Spencer Chemical in Merriam, Kansas which turned into Gulf Oil. He left in 1972 and decided to build a smaller house for his family which turned into a building/land development company making him one of the largest land developers in Kansas for several years, most notably the Nottingham subdivisions in Overland Park. His greatest accomplishments were his three girls and their families.

He is survived by his children; sister, Joan Schwarz (Gerald), grandchildren, great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wives Joyce and Rosane; his granddaughter, Alexis Nichols and siblings.

A visitation will be from 5:30-7:30pm on Friday, October 2, 2026 at Penwell Gabel Funeral Home, 14275 S. Black Bob Road, Olathe, KS. A graveside service will be at 12:00pm on Saturday, October 3rd, 2026 at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Westboro, Mo. A luncheon will follow in the church.

“I love you forever and ever and always”

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