This is my sweet Grandpa Smith and Me
Grandpa passed away on Sunday March 25
The following story was written about my Grandpa by my Uncle Brian- Thanks Brian
Another member of the "Greatest Generation" died yesterday. My Grandpa passed away in his sleep at noon on Sunday, March 25 from heart failure. He was diagnosed with double pneumonia on Saturday without showing any signs other than being tired. He was visiting Kent & his wife Diane, their son Ben & his wife Erin and their children in Pullman, WA. He Died in his sleep while taking a nap, my dad was right next to him.
He was born in 1924, the oldest of three boys. The Depression struck when he was five years old and his family felt its effects. He attended 17 different elementary schools and for a time lived in an unfinished garage. His parents divorced and he left high school in 1941 at 17, two months before Pearl Harbor, to serve his country as a Marine. He joined the LDS Church on his 18th birthday while in the Marine Corp. During WWII he repaired bomber and fighter plane radios and the newly invented radar systems. He witnessed the horrors of war and survived being shot at and bombed on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
Following his discharge, he earned his GED and then turned his training into a career. First he repaired the newly invented television for 10 years and then spent 30 years in the newly emerging computer industry. He met and married my mother in 1949. They travelled 700 miles to be married in the closest, open LDS temple in Manti, Utah.
They lived in Temple City, CA until 1968 when they moved to Thousand Oaks, CA. In 1985 they moved to Camarillo, CA until 1992 when he retired and they moved to Orem, UT for 15 years. In 2007 they moved across the street from Cheryl in Bakersfield, CA. Cheryl helped my dad care for my mother who had suffered from Alzheimer's for four years. My mother died less than a year later. My Dad then worked as a teacher's aide reading to elementary school kids who called him grandpa. Cheryl has been angel caring and cooking for him the past five years
While working full time and raising six children, my dad completed three years college. Eventually family, church and work responsibilities made it impossible for him to continue. Although he was unable to finish college, he made sure that all six of his kids had the opportunity to attend college. All five of his boys were eagle scouts as well.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ was of utmost importance my parents and they made it possible for all six children to serve as missionaries for the LDS Church. My parents loved to serve others and could always be found in the kitchen during Church dinners. He served as a Ward Missionary/Seventy for 20 years. My parents proudly served as Family History missionaries in the Salt Lake Family History Library, riding the bus from Orem every day at 6 AM. Then they served as coordinators at the MTC in Provo.
He deeply missed his wife of 59 years and is now enjoying a happy reunion with her. The funeral will be near Los Angeles on Saturday, March 31 and he will be buried in the Rose Hills Cemetery.
Thanks for all that you sacrificed but most important what you gave to us. Our life, your testimony and your love. The world is a better place because of you and you will be missed. God bless you.
Thank you to Uncle Brian for writing the Elegy
