https://www.schroederfuneral.com/obituaries/John-S-Smith?obId=42217250
Veteran baseball coach John Smith ”Smitty” age 86 died April 23 from Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Smith was born in Burke, South Dakota, on May 2, 1938. He served in the United States Army from 1957 to 1959. He married his wife Connie on May 28, 1961. The same year, he received a bachelor’s degree in business from South Dakota State Teachers in Springfield in 1961. He earned a master’s degree of education from University of Northern Colorado in 1964.
John and Connie taught high school in South Dakota. They moved to Boone, and Smith joined DMACC in 1967 where he taught accounting and business. Smith became DMACC’s head baseball coach in 1974 and continued coaching until 2007, compiling 876 wins.
In 1982 he led DMACC to its first-ever appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. He earned Coach of the Year honors from NJCAA three times.
Smith was a coach to more than 600 baseball players; 85 percent earned degrees from four-year colleges or universities after graduating from DMACC. Seventy-eight of his players were drafted by major league baseball teams.
Smith is survived by his wife, Connie, sons Jon Paul and Scot, seven grandchildren, two great grandchildren, his brother, Merlin, nieces, nephews and sisters-in-law. Memorial donations can be made to Trinity Lutheran Church and the Des Moines Area Community College-Boone Campus general scholarship fund.
DMACC Athletics Director B.J. McGinn said Smitty had a deep impact at the school.
“John Smith had a tremendous impact on everyone that he came into contact with on the DMACC Boone Campus and in the community of Boone, Iowa. Not only was he a Hall of Fame Baseball Coach, but he was a leader, mentor, and a really good friend to many people. John will be greatly missed by all of his players, students, colleagues, and community members that he worked with throughout his career and many years after retirement.”