Obit: Smith, George William (1909 - 1999)

Contact: Linda Mertens
Email: mertens@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames:  Smith, Schaefer, Sebold, Klimpke, Thorne, Worden, Yates, Schultz, Seidel, Klocke, Hammerich, Blume

 ----Source - Helen Johnson's Scrapbook

George William Smith (9 Jun 1909 – 11 Feb 1999)

George William Smith, 89, Dorchester died Feb. 11, 1999, in the emergency room of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield.

Funeral services were held Feb. 15 at St. Louis Catholic Church in Dorchester, with Father James Schaefer presiding.  Burial was in the Dorchester Memorial Cemetery.  Grandsons served as pallbearers.  Pallbearers were Mike Sebold, Tim Sebold, George Smith, Tom Smith, Greg Smith, Jim Smith, Ken Klimpke and Adam Thorne.

George William Smith was born on June 9, 1909, in rural Withee, the son of William and Alice (Worden) Smith.  He and the former Dora Yates were married on Aug. 10, 1929.  Dora died Nov. 19, 1965.  On Aug. 14, 1968, the former Myrtle Schultz and George were united in marriage at St. Louis Parish in Dorchester.  After his first marriage, the young family lived in Owen where George was employed at the former Carnation Milk Plant for many years.  In 1948, the family moved to Dorchester and George worked as a supervisor for Neil Smith, Inc. Hardwood Products.  He later worked for the Dorchester Pole Yard and Meyer Manufacturing in Dorchester.

He was a member of St. Louis Catholic Church and long-time member of the Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department. He was an avid fisherman, enjoyed feeding the birds and woodworking.  He was a loving father, step-father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

George is survived by his wife Myrtle Smith of Dorchester; four sons, Walter (Lois) Smith, Milwaukee, Lawrence (Beverly) Smith, Dorchester, Dick Smith, Dorchester and George (Debbie) Smith, Jr. of Toms River, N.J.; three daughters, Elaine Sebold, Abbotsford, Mary (Clem) Klimpke of Dorchester and Kathleen Thorne of Milwaukee; two step-sons, Gerald (Judy) Seidel of Virginia Beach, Va. and Dale (Jean) Seidel of Dorchester; one step-daughter, Carol (Gary) Klocke of Orangeville, Ill.; one sister, Mildred Hammerich of Fulton, Calif., 26 grandchildren, five step-grandchildren, 45 great-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Dora Yates Smith; an infant son, James Smith; one grandson, Jerome Smith in 1990, one granddaughter, Diana Blume, in 1995; four brothers and three sisters and son-in-law Robert Sebold in 1993.