Clifford Ross Smith, 72, a retired Navy Commander who served aboard cruisers and destroyers in aviation assignments, died of complications of emphysema December 26, 2003, at Prince William Hospital in Manassas.

Commander Smith served 25 years in the Navy before retiring in 1977. His assignments included duty in Saigon, Pensacola, Florida, Norfolk and Washington. His decorations included a Bronze Star. He worked at the National Security Agency and in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations.

He was born in Rockville, Missouri, and graduated from the University of Missouri. He settled in the Washington area in 1967. He was a resident of Haymarket.

In retirement, Commander Smith was vice president of the systems support division of ALM Arlington, a defense contractor. He later worked for another defense contractor, ISI, in Falls Church.

He was a Boy Scout volunteer.

Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Smith of Haymarket; two children, Dexter Smith of Columbia and Deborah Perdue of Glen Burnie; two brothers; and six grandchildren.