Jason Smith Remembered by St. Mary’s Academy After More Than Two Decades of Service to Maryites

 For more than two decades, Jason Smith was part of the St. Mary’s Academy community, becoming a familiar and valued presence to generations of Maryites. His passing has brought sadness across the SMA family, where students, former students, colleagues, families, and friends are now reflecting on the role he played over many years. The school has extended condolences to Smith’s loved ones while remembering a man whose long connection with the academy became an important part of its community story.

St. Mary’s Academy shared the news of Smith’s passing in a tribute that highlighted his service and lasting influence. Although details about his early years, education, family life, career beyond the academy, and personal accomplishments have remained private, the school’s remembrance offers a meaningful picture of his connection to SMA. More than 20 years within one community represents a remarkable period of consistency, allowing Smith to become part of the experiences and memories shared by generations of people associated with the school.

For the Maryites who knew Smith during different stages of their lives, his presence may be remembered through everyday encounters and the routines that make a school community feel familiar. Long-serving members of an institution often become connected to traditions, milestones, and memories that students carry with them long after graduation. Smith’s extended service placed him within that continuing story, creating a connection that reached across generations rather than being limited to one particular class or period at St. Mary’s Academy.

His family has arranged a funeral service for Saturday, August 29, at 2 p.m. at Westside Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home in Marrero, Louisiana. Visitation will take place before the service, giving relatives, friends, and members of the community an opportunity to gather privately before the ceremony. For those closest to Smith, the service will provide an important moment to honor his life, support one another, and begin saying goodbye while surrounded by people who also valued his presence.

St. Mary’s Academy will hold its own family memorial service in Smith’s honor on Friday, September 4, at 9 a.m. The gathering is scheduled for Austin Gym at St. Mary’s Academy on Chef Menteur Highway. This second remembrance will allow members of the SMA community to come together and reflect on Smith’s many years of connection with the academy. It also gives Maryites an opportunity to share memories and recognize the place he held within the broader school family.

Because much of Smith’s personal history has not been publicly detailed, the most significant part of his public legacy remains his relationship with St. Mary’s Academy. More than two decades of service created an enduring connection with the institution and the people who passed through its doors. His story demonstrates how a person can become an important part of a community through years of presence, dedication, and personal connections. Those relationships often become most meaningful when a familiar member of the community is no longer there.

As family, friends, and Maryites gather for the funeral and memorial services, Jason Smith will be remembered through the many years he spent connected to St. Mary’s Academy. His legacy is reflected in the generations who knew him and in the memories that continue to connect former students and members of the SMA family. While his loved ones face the sadness of his passing, the community can also reflect with gratitude on the more than two decades he shared with them. His presence became part of the academy’s story, and that connection will remain in the memories of those he served and those who knew him.