Russell Lee Smith, Sr. of Greenport Remembered as Gifted Musician

Russell Lee Smith Sr. of Greenport, a talented musician, died on June 20 at the Westhampton Care Center with his loving wife and youngest daughter by his side. He was 85.

Smith was born in Aurora, North Carolina on December 22, 1937, to the late James Albert and Annie Ebron Smith. At a young age, Smith and his family left Aurora and moved to New York. It was here that he met the beautiful Florence Elizabeth Swann.

On October 4, 1958, they were joined in holy matrimony. From their union, they raised four children: Charles, Russell Jr., Alethia and Diona. Smith received his high school diploma in Aurora, and he received his degree as an LPN in 1972 from Suffolk County Community College.

Smith was a talented and gifted musician and vocalist. He was taught at an early age to play the piano by his mother. As he mastered that, he took the time to self-teach himself how to play many instruments, including the guitar, saxophone and harmonica. In his early years, he used his gifts to play in various clubs like The Blue Bird Inn and other lodges out on eastern Long Island. He loved singing Barry White.

Smith loved the Lord, and he accepted him at an early age. From the time he was taught how to play the piano, he was playing in his church down in Aurora. Shortly after Smith moved to Greenport, he joined the Clinton Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. There, he became the minister of music. He remained in that position for more than 50 years and would still have been there if he was physically able. Now, his friends and family take comfort in knowing that he’s singing and playing in that heavenly choir.

Smith loved all things electronic. His love of videography and photography led him to videotape the local softball games and broadcast them on the local channel. He videotaped and photographed everything from weddings to church programs to birds, as well as the stars. You could find him on any given night gazing up at the stars through his telescope. He could sit with you for hours … literally hours … to tell you about all that he had learned and discovered.

Smith was predeceased by his brothers, James Jr., William, Randolph, Odell and Cliff, and his son Charles. He leaves to cherish his memory his devoted wife, Florence of Greenport; his children, Russell Jr. of Mattituck, Alethia (Kevin) of Riverhead and Diona of Bowie, Maryland; his brother, Cordice of Brooklyn, his brothers-in-love, Frank Swann (Bessie) of Maryland and George Swann of Texas; his sister-in-love, Valrose of Greenport, his two grandchildren, Rachel and Jadyn, three great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Viewing services were held at Clinton Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Greenport, followed by interment at the Cutchogue Cemetery. DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Southold served the family.