Rostand Eldridge Smith, Iii

Asheville – Rostand Eldridge Smith, III, 67, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, March 21, 2022, at his residence. A native of Elizabethton, TN, he was a longtime resident of Buncombe County. He was the son of the late Rostand Eldridge Smith, II and Mary Slagle Smith. Rostand graduated from Elizabethton High School in 1973 and then received his Bachelors in Accounting from Mars Hill University in 1977. Following college, he started work as an auditor for Sky City. Before he retired, he also held various accounting positions with Singer Kearfott, Brian Easler Ford, and Leigh Jones CPA. In the nineties he turned a hobby and a love of sports into a sport memorabilia business, called “The Leftfielder.” Rostand was a lifelong athlete having played baseball in college and continued to play for several years after with a local traveling baseball league. He was also an avid cyclist. As a member of the Asheville Bicycle Racing Club (ABRC) he participated in and helped organize many track and road racing events. He also enjoyed taking part for several summers in the “Bicycle Ride Across Georgia,” which raises support for Special Olympics. He was known as someone who rarely met a stranger and was always willing to help a friend. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of 40 years, Gail Wilde Smith; daughter, Amber Smith Releford and husband Breon Releford; granddaughters: Taya, Mikayla, and one on the way; sister, Patricia Smith Mosley and husband Bill Mosley of Elizabethton, TN; in-laws: Jennie Wilde, Sharon Wilde, Greg Wilde and wife Cindy Wilde, and Tim Wilde and wife Ashley Wilde; niece and nephew: Meredith Wilde, and Colby Wilde; and extended family and friends. A celebration to honor Rostand’s life will be held at 2 PM on Thursday, March 31, 2022, in the chapel of First Baptist Church of Asheville where he and his wife have been members since 1989. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church. The Smith family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of CarePartners Hospice for their exceptional care and support. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Rostand’s memory to: Mountain Care, Buncombe Adult Care, P.O. Box 5956, Asheville, NC 28813 or online at: mountaincareservices.org