Jim and Ruth Smith
Family of James Wesley Smith & Ruth Benson, 1942-2017 (b. 1921)
Residence: Clark County, Nevada; Ada County, Idaho; Aguadilla Municipality, Puerto Rico; Aroostook County, Maine; Travis County, Texas; Chippewa County, Michigan; Bossier Parish, Louisiana; Ada County, Idaho
Grandparents:
Additional details: Private Notes
Parents' Childhood
James Wesley Smith ("Jim") was born in 1921 to Caleb and Della Smith in Boise, Idaho. Caleb left the family when Jim was young, and Della remarried when he was 7. Jim's stepfather, Hugh Mahaffey, raised him through his teenage years, and died in 1941.
Ruth Benson was born in 1922 to Mathias and Margaret Benson in Boise, Idaho. Margaret died when Ruth was still an infant, and Mathias, unable to care for her, sent her to live with Christian and Laura Christiansen in Bingham County, Idaho. She lived there until age 13, when Christian and Laura both died. Ruth then returned to Boise and spent her teenage years with her father, Mathias.
Military Life
Jim enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 (anticipating the coming war) and spent most of his professional life in the Army and the U.S. Air Force. He and Ruth were married after he completed his flight training. During Jim's military career, the family moved frequently, with assignments in many places throughout the United States.
| 1942 | Married in the Arizona Temple; assigned to Las Vegas Army Airfield, Nevada |
| 1945 | Moved to Boise, Idaho |
| 1951 | Jim deployed to Japan |
| 1953 | Moved to Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico |
| 1955 | Moved to Loring Air Force Base, Maine |
| 1959 | Moved to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas |
| 1963 | Short-term move to Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama |
| 1964 | Moved to Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan |
| 1967 | Moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana |
| 1970 | Jim deployed to Thailand; family moved to Provo, Utah |
| 1971 | Jim retired from the Air Force; moved to Boise, Idaho |
During World War II, Jim was an instructor pilot in Las Vegas. In mid-1945, Jim was training in New Mexico and Kansas to be deployed in the Pacific, but the war ended before he left the United States.
In the late 1940s, Jim left active duty (becoming a reservist) and the family moved back to Boise, living with Mathias Benson for the first two years. Jim worked in a building supply store and then as a building contractor. He also built a house on Palouse St, completed in 1950.
In 1951, Jim was recalled to active duty and sent to Japan during the Korean War, commanding bombers in combat and training missions.
In 1952, the family joined Jim on short-term assignments in Louisiana, Kansas, and South Dakota. This was followed by multi-year assignments in Puerto Rico (1953–1955) and Maine (1955–1958).
During the 1960s, the the family moved to Air Force assignments in Austin, Texas (1959–1963); Alabama (10 months in 1963–1964); Michigan (1964–1967); and Louisiana (1967–1970).
In 1970, Jim was deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam War, flying combat missions. The family moved to Utah during this time. On Jim's return, he retired from the Air Force and the family again moved to Boise.
Retirement
During retirement, Jim and Ruth lived in the Palouse house in Boise. They served an LDS mission to St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1980s. Jim died in 2014 (age 93). Ruth died in 2017 (age 94).
Related Files
Jim and Ruth Smith wedding day
Jim Smith as an aviation student
Ruth and Jim Smith at the temple gates
Jim and Ruth Smith wedding
Ruth and Jim Smith on temple grounds
Della Mahaffey with son Jim and grandson Jim
James Raymond Smith age 1
Jim Smith in the Army Air Forces
Jim and Ruth Smith early marriage
Ruth Smith with son Jim in 1945
James Raymond Smith toddler portrait
Kenneth Dee Smith baby portrait
Jim and Ken ages 4 and 1
Jim and Ruth Smith family in 1947
James Raymond Smith age 6
Kenneth Dee Smith age 3
William Kay Smith age 1
Kenneth Dee Smith age 5
Ruth Smith and 4 children
Jim Smith survival training
Jim and Ruth Smith family in the Gulf of Mexico
Terry Allen Smith age 1
Smith brothers in the Badlands
Jim Smith in Nikko Japan
Ruth and Jim Smith in 1953
William Kay Smith age 6
Glenn Stuart Smith age 1
Terry Allen Smith age 4
Ruth and Jim Smith with 5 children
Paul Brent Smith as a baby
Jim and Ruth Smith family portrait in 1960
William Kay Smith playing accordian
Major Jim Smith in a cockpit
Colleen Smith age 1
Major Jim Smith in 1961
Ruth Smith in early 1960s
Jim and Ruth Smith family portrait in 1963
Terry Allen Smith graduation
Colleen Smith with baton
Ruth and children in 1970
Ruth and Jim Smith in 1970
Missionary Bill with Ruth in 1970
Jim and Gaylene with Colleen and Ken in 1970
Smith siblings in 1970
Jim Smith release as Stake President
Brad and Della Kinney with Ruth and Jim Smith
Jim Smith retiring from Air Force
Jim and Ruth Smith with children in 1979
Jim and Ruth Smith in 1979
Jim Smith as a senior missionary
Ruth Smith as a senior missionary
Smith Family Reunion in 1987
Jim and Ruth Smith in 1991
Jim and Ruth Smith with children in 1992
Ruth and Jim Smith revisiting Arizona Temple
Jim Smith preparing for hot air balloon ride
James Wesley Smith Military History
Jim and Ruth Smith in 2013
Smith Family Reunion in 2013
Smith family with spouses in 2013
