Dr. Ronald Joseph Smith was born on December 19, 1945 in Welch, WV to Mildred Mae Smith. He passed away on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY. Memorial services will be 1:oo P.M. Saturday, April 2, 2022 at Elm Grove Baptist Church, Reidsville, NC.

Ronald was a graduate of Kimball High School in Kimball, West Virginia. After graduating from Bluefield State College, he attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN.  In 1971, he began his Surgery Residency followed by his Surgical Fellowship at Brigham and Women's Medical Center in Boston, MA.

After completing medical school, Ronald practiced medicine in several states.  However, none of them felt like home until he reached New York.  While in New York, he served as a Fellow at New York Medical College, the Director of Cardiac Surgery for the ICU at Westchester Medical Center, the Associate Director for the Cardiothoracic ICU at Montefiore Medical Center, and as an Intensivist for the Cardiothoracic ICU at Maimonides Medical Center.

Ronald had a life-long passion for Christ and converted to Catholicism at a young age. He was an active and devoted member of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish for over 25 years.  Ronald was also a proud and devoted member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Ronald was preceded in death by his mother, Mildred, and maternal grandmother, Ida. He is survived by his sister, Gwendelyn Bell (Jacey); his niece, Kristen Thompson (Jeff); his nephew, Robert Neal (Sara), three great-nieces Diana and Vanessa Neal, Kennadi Thompson, and a host of family and friends.

Ashton and Yolanda McLaurin and the staff of the McLaurin Funeral Home are serving the family. C ovid-19 precautions will be followed with social distancing, masks and sanitizing required.

At the designated date and time, you may connect to the Virtual services via teleconference call by dialing (701) 802-5263 and then access code 6545855# or FaceBook livestreaming via McLaurin Funeral Home's FB page.  To join via YouTube click here