Visitation and funeral service are Saturday, Sept. 16, at St. Andrews United Methodist Church
Petty Officer Kenneth “Kenny” Aaron Smith of Cherry Hill, died Aug. 21 when the ship on which he was serving, the USS John S. McCain, collided with an oil tanker just southeast of Malaysia. He was 22.
Kenny, a 2013 graduate of Cherry Hill High School East, was born in Jackson, Mich., and moved to Chesapeake, Va., when he was 10.
Described by classmates and friends as adventurous and fun-loving, he wrote recently on social media, “My bucket list of things to do before I die is close to completion already. I’ve skydived, jumped headfirst from an 8 story tower, have seen virtual reality at its baby stages, and will soon be traveling to the other side of the world.”
Kenny was fiercely loyal to his friends and family, and was proud to serve in the U.S. Navy, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.
In his spare time while aboard the McCain, Kenny wrote extensively on Wattpad, where 280 followers were treated to his fan fiction works based on the Legend of Zelda, Rick and Morty, and Undertale characters. An avid gamer, he was president of his school’s video game club, and shared his expertise and love of games like Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) on his YouTube channel, KiloVarietyGaming. His tag line read, “Life is a game; the question is, do you have the controller?”
Kenny is survived by his beloved father Darryl Smith (Maryann) of Cherry Hill, his beloved mother April Brandon, of Milford, Mich., and his beloved step-mother, Isa Booth-Smith, of Plano, Texas. He is also survived by loving siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, shipmates and friends.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 1 to 3:45 p.m. at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, 327 Marlton Pike West, Cherry Hill, NJ 08002. Funeral service is Saturday at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to St. Andrews United Methodist Church at the above address.
