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Thomas Eugene Smith was born to the union of the late Ennie Virden and James M. Smith on March 11, 1931, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the sixth of seven sons born to that union and preceded in death by all of his brothers: James, Delbert, John, Richard, Harold and Willard. As a young child, Thomas lost his mother and his father's occupation as a Pullman Porter often kept him on the road. James Smith enlisted the help of Johnnie Mae Martin Smith or "Sis," who raised Thomas and his brothers as her own sons and the two were later married.

Thomas attended Old Glenville High School and was known for his great sense of humor. He later joined the United States Army, and also served his country through the United States Air Force with tours in the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from the military in 1955 and earned the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Korean Service Medal. After his service in the Air Force, Thomas vowed to never travel via plane, and he kept that oath for the remainder of his life.

In 1968, Thomas married Muriel Dean Richardson and created a blended family of children; the late Gregory Karl Richardson, Lynne Jacobs, Sondra Bryant, Tiajuana Richardson and Valencia Owens. Thomas also had a daughter Madge (Penny) Ellis. It was during this phase of life that Thomas was called "Papa" by most family members. Thomas retired from the United States Postal Service after 35 years as a Postal Mail Carrier. He had a strong work ethic, took extraordinary pride in his profession and was well-respected among his peers and customers.

Outside of work, Thomas loved gardening and listening to classic jazz and gospel music genres. He also relished every opportunity to hunt, fish, play card games and travel. Thomas and Muriel spent more than five decades traveling all across the country with the Ohio Watts Family Club, the Whitehead-McCary family and friends who became family such as the Ohio Councillites (Alumni of Councill School of Birmingham, Alabama). He enjoyed telling his grandchildren slightly embellished stories of trips down south with the late William and Josephine Green. There were also fond memories of adventures he shared with close friends, George Thompson and his late wife, Juanita Thompson. In many of these stories, he was known as "Smitty," which predated his "Papa" moniker. Thomas thoroughly enjoyed playing cards and socializing with members of The Elks Club of Cleveland No. 1494.  He was also a long-time member and Master Mason of the Rising Heights Mt. Pisgah Lodge No. 5 and member of the American Legion Post 315.

Thomas passed away on December 20, 2021, surrounded by family.  Thomas leaves to cherish his memory, his loving wife of 53 years, Muriel; 5 daughters, Lynne, Sondra, Tee, Valencia (Terance), and Penny (Freddie, Sr.); 9 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; long-time friend, George Thompson; and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.