Jeffrey Allen Smith

Jeffrey Allen Smith, age 54, passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones, on Thursday morning, February 16th, after a devastating battle with ALS. Jeffrey was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 15, 1962 and moved to Las Vegas in 1994. After leaving the Navy, Jeffrey returned to school to pursue his BA at SUNY Binghamton, and then later received his Master's degree from Touro University. Jeffrey used his love of history and politics to passionately teach high school students for many years at Western HS and then Rancho HS; at both schools, he was often referred to as his students' "favorite teacher ever." He also coached the Rancho girls' Flag Football team. Jeffrey's love of history spurred his love of traveling around the world, starting with his tour of the Mediterranean while in the Navy, and his more recent family travels to Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, Hungary, Austria, England, Ireland, Belgium, France, Czech Republic, Belize, and Slovakia. Jeffrey loved to read, play poker, and go scuba diving with his family. For his 40th birthday, he even sky dived from an airplane for the very first time. Jeffrey's love of Scuba will be honored with his being memorialized as an Eternal Reef to help restore reef habitat for coral and fish, which will support marine life forever in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Jeffrey was loved and will be deeply missed by his students, friends, and family including his wife of 23 years Santa Winefordner Smith, son Zachary, daughter Hannah, father Herbert Smith, (mom Beverly in heaven), sister Sheryl Smith, sister Debra Kramer brother-in-law Barney Kramer, sister-in-law Patrice Sutherland, brother-in-law Walter Prado, parents-in-law Maureen and Joseph Antizzo, Aunt Sharon Chaiken, Aunt Wendy Mercer, nieces Rachel Kramer, Allie Brammer, Torie Sutherland, nephew Joshua Kadyszewski, and his three fur babies Bexley, Chloe, and Lily. Arrangements are being handled by Kraft Sussman, and Jeffrey will be honored by his family and friends with a celebration of his life and after party at Temple Sinai on Wednesday, February 22nd at 5:00 PM. Donations can be made to the Jeffrey Smith Memorial Scholarship at youcaring.com (https://www.youcaring.com/ranchohighschoollasvegas-759581?utm_source=mandrill&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Link&utm_campaign=Organizer) which will help deserving students at Rancho HS to attend college. Jeffrey's life was not long, but it was meaningful and good, as demonstrated by the thousands of students he has touched in his years as a teacher, coach, mentor, and to his family and friends.