Clarence Blake Smith, III

Clarence "Blake" Smith, III, 82, of Holland Township, NJ, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 25, 2020 at his home.

Born March 16, 1938 and raised in Westfield, NJ, Blake settled in Holland Township, NJ in 1968. He graduated from Bordentown Military Institute and served in the United States Army for two years. His passion was aviation; he met his wife, Roganne, while he was working as a flight instructor and she was studying for her private pilots license. He made aviation his career, first finding a position as a corporate pilot, and then moving to commercial airlines, first with Allegheny Airlines. He flew for them as the aviation industry evolved from fabric covered aircraft to Boeing 767 jets, and the airline changed from a regional carrier to the international US Airways, from which he retired in 1998 at the age of 60.

His second passion was motorsports, 2 and 4 wheeled. One outlet for that was his purchase and management of a Yamaha dealership, Flemington Cycle, in Flemington, NJ. He was involved with that from 1973 through 1987, when he and his wife sold the franchise. From 1988 until his passing he was heavily involved with the BMW Car Club of America. In the beginning he was interested in high performance driving, and as his experience grew he moved on to instructing students in high performance driving. He eventually took on the role of Chief Instructor for the NJ Chapter of the BMW CCA, and then Head of the Instructor Training Program. He was called upon by other car clubs and organizations (Ferrari Car Club, Trackmasters, and others) to help develop instructor training programs for their events.

Above all, Blake and his wife Roganne were very enthusiastic grandparents and greatly enjoyed spending time with their family.

Son of the late Clarence Blake and Eleanor F. (Pippy) Smith, II, Blake is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Roganne (Goodwin) Smith, his sons Geoffrey Smith and his wife Maria of Manassas, VA, and Bradford Smith and his wife Arabez of Ithaca, NY, and his five grandchildren Zachary, Tilden, Wesley, Blake, and Eva. Blake is predeceased by his beloved son Christopher Matthew Smith in 1991, as well as his brother George Smith.

The family will receive relatives and friends for a visitation on Wednesday, December 30, 2020 from 3-5 PM at the Johnson-Walton Funeral Home, 24 Church Road, Holland Township, NJ. A Celebration of Blake's Life and interment at Milford Union Cemetery will be held privately at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Milford-Holland Rescue Squad, 151 Water Street, Milford, NJ 08848.

Condolences

From: Eric "EJ" Smith
Blake was a calm and cool voice during my stressful ITS training with NJ Chapter BMW CCA in 2012. I very much appreciated his kindness. Sympathies to his family and loved ones.

From: Robert A Mann and Lynda
So sorry too hear about Blake's passing. Being a fellow instructor who was Blake's student years back, I really appreciated his guidance on instructing other students who needed some additional guidance. Blake will truly be missed. Bob and Lynda

From: Rose Bellwoar
Dear Geoff I am so sorry for you and your entire family, that picture of your dad is just perfect I always remember his little smile and the twinkle in his eyes, he loved his family I did not see him very often but that was one thing that came across immediately. Plus he was just so funny. Anyway hugs and I’m sorry. Hug your kids for me . Love you, rose

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