I have a similar story, Jimmy. As a small child in the 50's and 60's my parents and most of their friends smoked. When the first Surgeon General's report came out about the negative affects my Dad quit cold turkey and never smoked again. Still, he had smoked for decades and the damage was done. He was taken by emphysema at 81 in 1987. I had a half brother who also passed from emphysema in his 70s, only a few years after Dad died. My Mom continued to smoke even when Dad was on oxygen (!) as she just couldn't break the addiction. I remember all of the paintings (Dad's Mom was an artist) and the TV screen in the house being covered with a tarry film that was nasty to remove on the TV and impossible on the paintings. Only a few of the latter were salvageable. I would visit her weekly and when I got home I would have to hang my clothes in the garage or put them in the dryer to get rid of the smell. She eventually quit when she became bed ridden from rheumatoid arthritis that was exacerbated by her smoking. She passed from COPD at 80 in 2002. Given how poorly they took care of themselves and the fact that they both made it to 80 or more gives me hope that I will last a bit longer.
My brother smoked for years but I was never attracted to the habit. Blegh!