Gerald C. Smith, 98, of Ottawa, passed away on Saturday morning, August 10, 2019 at his home.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 16, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottawa, with Rev. Nathan Feig, Pastor, and Rev. David Ufkes, officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Memorial Park, where full military rites will be accorded by the American Legion Post 33 Veteran’s Group Honor Guard. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service, at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Mueller Funeral Home in Ottawa.
Gerald was born on June 4, 1921 in Perry, MI to Charles and Gladys (Pryer) Smith. He was in the Armed Forces for 5 years…three in the US Army and two in the US Air Force, and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska during WWII. He met his wife, Esther (Rorem) Smith, while stationed in Seattle, WA. They were married in 1944, and soon moved Ottawa to begin their future together. Gerald had many jobs back then. He loved mechanics but eventually began working at Libbey-Owens Ford. He was also the owner of Ottawa Soft Water. Gerald was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, American Legion Post #33, the VFW, the Ottawa Moose Lodge, Shoreline Boat Club, and the Hardee’s Coffee Group.
His wife Esther passed away in 1972 and he was then introduced and fell in love with his current wife Dorothy (Phillips) Smith. They were married for 47 years.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, a daughter, Susan (Scott) Sawyer, of Vancouver, WA, daughter-in-law, Susan Smith, of Omaha, NE, his grandchildren Timothy (Dana) Sawyer, of Grant’s Pass, OR, Kristin (Todd) Juhnke, of Vancouver, WA, Erik Sawyer, of Grant’s Pass, OR, 6 great grandchildren, Corbin, Hudson, Addison, Dawson, Katelyn, and Hannah, in Oregon and Washington, and many loved nieces and nephews in Ottawa, Michigan, and Missouri.
He was preceded in death by his first wife Esther (Rorem) Smith, a son Gerald Wayne Smith, his parents, a brother Lynn Smith, and two sisters, Ruth Hungerford and Eleanor Tosselo.
Pallbearers will be Tim Sawyer, Erik Sawyer, Todd Juhnke, Leo Nickels, Don Galesk, and Gary File.
Gerald was laid to rest at Oakwood Memorial Park in the Garden of the Ten Commandments.
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