HANOVER COUNTY, Va. -- Noah Smith was almost home when he was killed on his motorcycle.
Just an hour or so before he was killed, the 21-year-old Mechanicsville, Virginia man asked his dad Chris if he wanted to go for a ride before dinner.
It was something Noah and his parents did often to blow off steam. They would listen to jazz and chat over the motorcycles' intercom system.
"He rode motorcycles with me and his mom all the time," Chris Smith said about his son.
But on that day, February 16, 2022, Chris Smith's bike would not start. He told Noah to go ahead and enjoy a solo ride.
He said they'd catch up at dinner. Noah left and never returned.
The preliminary Hanover Sheriff's Office investigation found that Smith was traveling north on Lee Davis Road, at about 6 p.m., when the driver of a 2017 Acura SUV made a left turn from Laurel Meadows Drive onto Lee Davis Road. The driver hit Smith's motorcycle. Smith died at VCU Medical Center.
"He was almost home. He was so close," Chris Smith said.
Noah Smith spent much of his early childhood close to home.
Chris and Debbie Smith home-schooled their son.
"We wanted to share our love with our kids," Chris said about the decision to home school. "We wanted to be an active part of their education and every day teach them and show them how life works."
It worked. Noah, he said, matured into a great kid.
"[He] was a kind, loving, and loyal person who was so fun to be around. He had the ability to connect with and talk to anyone," Chris said. "For being only 21, he had a good head on his shoulders and was often looked to for advice from those close to him."
Noah's life took an important turn when Chris took his then-teenage son to a concert at The National in Richmond.
The music on stage touched Noah's soul. He told his dad that night that he would one day be on stage.
He was right.
"Noah began playing music professionally at the age of 16," Chris said. "[He was] the drummer for Cash Unchained playing music up and down the East Coast and into the Midwest."
During his music career, Noah played at the House of Blues in New Orleans, Houston, Chicago, and Myrtle Beach. His favorite place to perform was was MadLife in Atlanta, Chris said. And he, of course, played at home in Richmond.
"Music was Noah’s passion and his life," Chris said. "His music career was heavily influenced by Matt Koon at Mako Music School and Victor Wooten at Wooten Woods."
From Matt and Victor, Noah not only learned about music but also valuable life lessons, his dad said.
"Noah was a student here for about 10 years. My first drum student," music teacher Matt Koon said. "Victor [Wooten] always liked Noah. Once when Noah was at his camp, Vic texted me to tell me 'you would be so proud of him.' I always was."
So were Noah's parents.
"As a family, we were very close. Every day Noah was told how much he was loved," Chris said. "We supported and encouraged his passion. It was incredible, as a father, to see your son have a passion, a target, to work on it, and to excel at it."
Chris Smith said his son was humble and did not realize the number of people he impacted during his short life.
"He touched so many lives both locally in our community as well as those he met on the road," Smith said.
But it is back home, in Mechanicsville with Chris and Debbie, where the sudden loss of Noah Smith will linger the longest.
"Enjoy your time with your children and don't let unresolved issues linger," Chris Smith said. "Hug your kid every day. Tell them you love them every day."
