Frederick Wallace Smith revolutionized the transportation and delivery industries when he founded that company that would eventually be known as FedEx.

Smith and his vision received multiple tributes this past weekend after the 80-year-old passed away due to natural causes.   

Smith remembered as "the heart and soul of FedEx"

According to the website Commercial Appeal, Smith's death was announced to employees in a message from FedEx CEO and president Raj Subramaniam.

"Fred was more than just the pioneer of an industry and the founder of our great company," Subramaniam stressed. "He was the heart and soul of FedEx – its PSP culture, values, integrity, and spirit."

"He was a mentor to many and a source of inspiration to all," the CEO continued before adding that Smith "was also a proud father, grandfather, husband, Marine, and friend."

Subramaniam concluded by asking those at FedEx to "please keep the entire Smith family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Young Smith was beset by physical challenges and the loss of his father

Commercial Appeal recalled how Smith was born in Marks, Mississippi to parents Frederick Smith and Sally Wallace Smith. Young Frederick would be raised by his mother in Memphis due to his father having passed away just four years after his birth.

He struggled with health problems as a boy, including a hip problem which caused him to rely on crutches. However, Smith was able to overcome his physical limitations and later played both football and basketball.

His concept for FedEx had its origins in a term paper that Smith wrote while studying at Yale University, although financial and regulatory hurdles stood in Smith's way.

"I just knew it was correct, but there were only a few believers at first," Commercial Observer quoted Smith as telling author Robert Sigafoos for his 1983 book "Absolutely, Positively Overnight!"

The veteran shipping magnate went on to recall how "[t]he overwhelming body of opinion said it wouldn’t work, or that we couldn’t raise the money."

Smith knew that relying on passenger planes "didn’t make economic sense"

FedEx's official history states that Smith's college paper, "he laid out the logistical challenges facing pioneering firms in the information technology industry."

"Most airfreight shippers relied on passenger route systems, but those didn’t make economic sense for urgent shipments, Smith wrote," the company notes.

It points out that Smith "proposed a system specifically designed to accommodate time-sensitive shipments such as medicine, computer parts, and electronics."