Steven "Stevie" James Smith

On the evening of July 27th, 2019, Steven “Stevie” James Smith, passed away due to a house fire at his home in Berlin Center, Ohio. Stevie was 54 years old.

Stevie was born February 11th, 1965, in Alliance, Ohio, a son of Jim and Lonna (Baird) Smith. A graduate of Western Reserve High School in 1983, Stevie played both football and basketball for the Blue Devils. He would often compare his basketball skills to Larry Bird and although he was only about 5’10, he was actually 6’2 “with the fro” as he would say. After graduation Stevie began his long and illustrious career as a body man and painter for his father’s business, Smith’s Body Shop. Stevie was married to Kara (Fowler) for 5 years before getting divorced in 2005 and never remarrying. Stevie was also a social member of the American Legion Post #76 in Sebring for 25 years.

Stevie was an avid sports fan, primarily rooting for his beloved Dallas Cowboys. Every football season you would hear him say “Woooo, How bout them Cowboys!” and carry on telling you how great the team was and how this was their year. So much of a fan that one year he had his sister, Justine, shave the Cowboys star logo in the back of his head. Trust me, we all couldn’t wait for it to grow back. Stevie’s other hobbies included cornhole, cut-throat games of horse, golf, ‘runnin with the wolf’, chex mix parties with the family, Yahtzee, name that tune, and jamming to Cheap Trick. He also had several pet cats throughout the years.

Stevie’s personality was one of his most distinguishing characteristics. His humor, personality and outlook on life was so infectious that everyone has “Stevie stories.” Never one to shy away from a good time, Stevie embodied the term ‘the life of the party.’ It just was never quite as good of a party without ‘Steve-a-Reno’ there shuffling around from person to person providing comic relief and egging people on to play cornhole or to simply ‘crank up the tunage!’ Stevie was a one of a kind person that few get to encounter during their lives, and he will forever be missed but never forgotten as he left so many memories and stories behind that it would take years to get through them all.

Before passing Stevie made sure none of us would ever forget the impact he had on our lives. He was truly unforgettable and not only as a son, but as a brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He will be missed greatly by his father Jim Smith; mother Lonna (Baird) Smith; sister Justine VanSteenberg (Gary); nephew Tyson Reese; nephew Cody Reese (Kathy); great niece London and great nephew Crew; and an entire slew of aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that will forever remember nothing but the good times they had with Stevie.

In true Stevie fashion, we will not be holding funeral services but instead will be having a Celebration of Life in his honor. Stevie lived a life full of celebration so it would only be right to celebrate his life and all the good times with family and friends. The Celebration of Life will be held on August 18th, 2019, at 2:00PM at the Sebring American Legion.