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50 LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Eddy passed away on Aug. 25, 2010, in his adopted home of Las Vegas, Nev., knowing that his son Devin had aided in getting him to the hospital. His death was due to a blood clot …
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50 LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Eddy passed away on Aug. 25, 2010, in his adopted home of Las Vegas, Nev., knowing that his son Devin had aided in getting him to the hospital. His death was due to a blood clot in his lungs which was a result of an apparent heart attack a few days prior. He was 50 years young. Born Oct. 1, 1959, he grew up in Smyrna, Del., and then went on to West Virginia Wesleyan College and WV University, attaining a MA in psychology. As all who knew and loved him know, he had an amazing way with kids, and while living in Pacific Beach in San Diego, Calif. for 9 years, he thrived on counseling troubled teens and children in a family crisis center. He had spent the last 12 years in Las Vegas, working various jobs which allowed him to spend as much quality time as possible raising his son, Devin; and coaching many girls' flag football teams. He most recently was employed at the UNLV campus bookstore, which permitted him to enjoy chatting with young adults, likely 'counseling' them as they spoke. Coach Ed passionately coached hundreds of girls, most recently aged 9-14, in the Henderson Flag Football League, proudly taking a team of 'his girls' all the way to Nationals and Disney World in 2008. He had a tremendous, positive influence on the lives of not only the girls he coached, but also their families, with his compassion, kindness, strength and mentoring. All who were privileged to have known him loved and respected him deeply. An impromptu prayer vigil in his memory, held in lieu of practice, was organized as soon as his teams learned of his death, and though words and the pictures sent to the family can't possibly capture the true spirit of the evening, they serve as testimony to the amount of love that was shared by our common thread, Ed. There were people there from all different aspects of his life. There were his football players and past players and their families, and people from his football league that knew him by reputation only... there were his co-workers, friends, and students from UNLV who knew him from the campus bookstore. The eternal optimist, he frequently shared inspirational quotes with his many, many friends on his facebook page, his favorite being "The glass is always half full." Ed is survived by his parents, Edgar and Ruth Smith of Smyrna; his son, Devin Foschi-Smith of Las Vegas; his sisters, Terri Smith Rhodes of Chicago, Ill. and Megan Smith Mazer of Doylestown, Pa. Services will be held 11 a.m., Saturday Sept. 4 at First Presbyterian Church, 118 W. Commerce St., Smyrna. Visitation will be 7 to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 3 at Matthews-Bryson Funeral Home, 123 W. Commerce St., Smyrna. Burial will be in the Presbyterian Cemetery, Smyrna. A memorial service in Las Vegas will be arranged; details to follow via facebook and emails from his sisters and co-coaches. In lieu of flowers, we know Eddy would have much preferred contributions to go towards sending one of his teams to Regionals in New Orleans this fall. His goal was to raise enough money to send every player, along with many parents. Eddy's family, as well as his "football family," also look forward to paying tribute to his devotion to coaching by placing a memorial at his home field, and are working towards that as well. Contributions may be sent to: Coach Ed Smith Memorial Fund, c/o First National Bank of Newtown, 275 S Main St., Doylestown, PA 18901.