Derwood Cooper Smith

Derwood C. Smith, 89, of Apex, North Carolina, passed away peacefully at home on June 13, 2026.

Derwood was born September 21st, 1936, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Charles and Opal Smith, who were loving and wonderful parents. Charles took Derwood to numerous sporting events, and consequently, Derwood grew up to be a lifelong sports fan, always rooting for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Celtics, and the Dallas Cowboys. Charles and Opal also helped Derwood become an Eagle Scout. Then on one exceptionally special day, when Derwood was about 16, he and his father were baptized together at East Side Church of Christ.

While Derwood was still in high school, he met his beloved wife Jeannene. Though they attended the same church, Jeannene says her first memory of Derwood was at the downtown library. This is poetic, as books have figured prominently in both Jeannene and Derwood’s lives, as well as in the lives of their grandchildren. After a first date to play tennis and get root beer floats, Jeannene and Derwood’s 67-year love story began.

After Derwood graduated from high school, he attended University of Tulsa, where he majored in physics. After their wedding on June 20th, 1958, Jeannene and Derwood moved to Los Angeles, where Derwood worked for Hughes Aircraft Company as a physicist. That lasted one year before Derwood and Jeannene decided to embark on a different life path. They headed for Abilene, Texas, where Derwood earned his Master’s Degree in Religious Studies. Inspired by Lemoine Lewis, an icon at Abilene Christian University, Derwood’s next stop was Harvard University, where he earned his Divinity Degree. Derwood and Jeannene then moved to New Haven, Connecticut, where Derwood earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Yale University. There his daughter, Karen, was born.

After a couple more stops, Derwood and Jeannene eventually ended up in Cleveland, Ohio, where many blessings awaited them. Derwood got a job teaching Religious Studies at Cleveland State University, his son Tim joined the family, and his interim preaching job at Forest Hill Church of Christ turned into 36 years of preaching and teaching. As a professor and eventual chair of the Religious Studies department at Cleveland State University, Derwood taught a variety of courses, including Jesus and the Gospels, Paul and Early Christianity, and Women in Early Christianity. Derwood even had a few devoted students who took all of his classes. One such student, Russell Rucky, and Derwood remained lifelong friends. Russell often said, “I majored in Derwood Smith.” Likewise, at Forest Hill, Derwood impacted those in his congregation, always encouraging them to show love to one another. A church member even said of Derwood, “He just won’t let us stop loving each other.”

When not working hard at his preaching and teaching, Derwood loved to travel to one of his favorite places on Earth, Disney World. His granddaughters greatly benefited and learned how to combine fast passes and sprinting to enjoy their favorite attractions.

Derwood is survived by his wife, Jeannene Smith, his daughter Karen Yakaboski (Greg), his son Tim Smith (Abby), and his granddaughters Kaitlyn Yakaboski, Beth Yakaboski, Julie Yakaboski, and Tara Yakaboski.