Tributes
Joseph Milton Smith Jr., age 69 of Union, Kentucky passed away with his family by his side on January 25th, 2022. Joe was born in Monticello, Kentucky in 1952 to the late Joseph and Cora Smith. He later moved to Florida where he spent his early childhood riding bikes and playing by the beach before returning to Kentucky. He spent his teenage years working in the family flower shop and left to serve his country in the Air Force from 1971-1975. Afterwards, he went on to establish a career in retail development where his incredible work ethic landed him a position as Senior Vice President of Operations at Pier 39 in San Francisco, California. His hard work and dedication led Pier 39 to become one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world for several years running. Along with his numerous professional achievements he was a loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather to an incredible family.
Joe is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, Marilyn Smith, son: Joseph Smith and wife Kori Ono-Smith, daughter: Rebecca Smith, grandson: Brandon Smith, and his siblings: Tony Smith, Virginia Fields, and Vikki Shelton; along with the countless other friends and family members fortunate enough to have met Joe.
A memorial visitation will be held Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at Linnemann Funeral Homes, Burlington from 11am to 12pm. A memorial service will immediately follow. Due to the health concerns, masks will be required inside the facilities. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Bluegrass Greyhound Adoption for his love of dogs, donations can be made on their website via PayPal: https://
Services to be live streamed at:
Linnemann Funeral Homes Burlington
1940 Burlington PikeBURLINGTON, KY 41005
Linnemann Funeral Homes Burlington
1940 Burlington PikeBURLINGTON, KY 41005
Joseph M. Smith Jr.
Address: ,Joseph M. Smith Jr.
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Thank You Joe!
Thank you Joe for all your help and your guidance with our businesses on Pier 39. You sure ran a good ship and we have missed you very much.
You had high standards and lived up to them yourself. We saw your hard work and the love you had for your family. You left too soon, but the Lord must need your administration skills in Heaven. Our hearts go out to your family! Many thanks! Brian and Maureen Hayes
God bless you Joe
I was lucky to work with Joe at PIER 39 for 30 years. I can’t tell you the number of times that I relied on Joe for his help and expertise. Thank you, Joe, for being a great friend and colleague over the years. I missed your presence when you left PIER 39 and now my heart goes out to your family who I am sure is missing you deeply. May God bless you and the Smith family. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
sad Regret
It was such a shock to hear the news about Joe’s passing. My brothers, Gary, Barry, Bill, and my sister Debbie, and I, Alan, want to extend our warmest condolences to our cousins, Tony, Sissy (Virginia) and Vicki. We Also send our deepest sympathies to Marilyn, Joey, Kori and the rest of his family. Unfortunately, we never had the pleasure of meeting them. We pray that God gives them the comfort and peace they so much deserve.
We spent much of our youth with Tony, Sissy, Joe, and Vicki, as our dads, Rufus, known as Blue, and their dad Joseph senior, known as Milton, were really close brothers and spent most of their young and mid lives working and living close together. So we were as close to Joe and his siblings as any cousins could be. Gary was the closest to Joe as they were about the same age .
It has been half a lifetime since I’ve seen Joe, and have only spoken with him a couple or three times since then, which I very much regret. Who thought time would be this short.
A man of integrity
Joe I was lucky enough to meet on our time at Pier 39. Boy do I miss a man of his integrity. They are few and far between, but never forgotten in my heart. Thank you for being someone I could look up to and aspire to become. See you on the rainbow bridge Joe 😉
A beautiful legacy
The PIER 39 marina crew will honor Joe ‘s legacy by continuing to do everything we can to keep PIER 39 a safe and beautiful place for all visitors. He was a master of his craft and still found time to love and care for his family . Rest in peace Joe .
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