Obituary for George Joseph Smith
George Joseph Smith, 93, passed away peacefully at home Jan. 21, 2023, with the love of his life, Phyllis Ellen Smith, holding his hand as they had done for 70 years of marriage.
George was born April 6, 1929, in Rockford, Ill., the only son of Mary and George Smith.
George was a first-generation college student, having been inspired to apply for a scholarship by a supportive high school counselor. George met Phyllis at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he graduated in 1951. They were set up on a blind date by friends. George went to the bookstore where Phyllis worked to check her out in advance - he was immediately smitten. They were so connected from the start - creating their own “fraternity,” Lambda (Logan) Sigma (Smith) Rho (Rogers) with two other couples who all went on to have long and wonderful marriages.
After college, George spent three years in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps, serving in Austria, which was a dream-come-true for him and from which many a story began with “When I lived in Salzburg…”
George and Phyllis married on March 28, 1953, and settled in Kirtland. They raised their four children there and welcomed many others into their home and family (Lisa McGregor and Gaby Ritchie were “adopted” and beloved daughters.) Many epic parties were thrown on Gildersleeve Drive: Gem Beach parties, progressive dinners, neighborhood gatherings, holiday parties, marching band parties, bridge games, costume parties, family parties with Phyllis’s sister, Joan (Parker) Orr, their four children and Phyllis’s mother, Vera Luttrell, and so many more. Their door was never locked and all were welcome (except no phone calls were permitted during the 6 pm dinner hour!)
George spent his career in management with Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, until he retired in 1990. He was a dedicated employee and was beloved by so many co-workers. For George, work was a means-to-an-end, the most important thing to him was his family and friends.
George had quite a creative streak. He loved to try out new hobbies like rock polishing, watercolor painting, and even building an A-frame house and a tree fort for his children. A lover of theater, he became a thespian in retirement, with many acting roles at The Fine Arts Center in Willoughby. He was the chief landscaper at their home, although not the most patient one—he may or may not have smashed a lawnmower with a sledge hammer when it wouldn’t start, while Phyllis kept the kids and the dog away from him. He received a live goat for his 50th birthday from friends soon after that!
One of George’s core beliefs was the importance of service to others. He was a founding member and volunteer-extraordinaire with The Kiwanis Club of Kirtland for decades and served in multiple roles at the state level. He also volunteered in many ways at Old South Church, including mission trips to Biloxi, Mississippi, Chairperson of the Congregation and being elected Father of the Year at least once. George and Phyllis deeply instilled the value of giving to others in their children and grandchildren.
George’s love of sailing started in the 1970s, when he built a 12’ Mirror Dinghy sailboat from a kit, which the family would haul around on top of the Ford station wagon (always worrying it was going to fly off on the highway.) He loved nothing more than sailing with his family and friends. George upgraded from his handmade wooden boat to several Catalina sailboats, all named Calypso. They spent many years as members of Edgewater Yacht Club, spending weekends sailing and hosting memorable parties with friends and family. Such was the love Phyllis had for George that she waited until her 80s to confess how much she did not actually enjoy sailing, and was really only doing it out of love for him and for the friendships and good times they had! His passion for boats wasn’t limited to sailboats, as he built with his kids an indestructible barge from milk cartons, which was legendary at Gem Beach, an annual gathering of lifelong friends and neighbors that was the highlight of the family’s summers.
In his retirement, he enjoyed traveling with Phyllis to visit their children and grandchildren from Texas to Illinois. They also had some amazing adventures - riding the Concorde to Paris (they both agreed the flight was too short to be worth it!), floating down the Rhine River with friends, annual winter snowbird visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Moonbay in Key Largo, Fla.; trips to Hawaii, Jamaica, Switzerland and Italy as well as a very special African safari that George took with Jeff. They loved planning trips, seeing new sights and then cherishing the memories after they returned home. Even in the past few years when they weren’t able to travel afar, George would still be dreaming and scheming about their next destination.
George and Phyllis downsized and enjoyed the move in 2013 to Breckenridge Village in Willoughby, where they quickly became “the party-throwers” of The Landing. They made many friends at Breckenridge and loved the weekly social gatherings and spent many afternoons just sitting on their porch watching the birds and deer.
George loved bragging about his children and grandchildren to anyone that would listen. He was fiercely proud of the good humans they had become. He would show gratitude on a daily basis for the simple things, like the joy of a summer breeze, a great martini and a bowl of ice cream, to the bigger things-gratitude for his long and love-filled marriage to Phyllis and gratitude for those who cared for him and showed him kindness and respect every day.
In his final years, George was cared for and comforted by many amazing caregivers from Taylor Made Home Care and Ohio Living/Ohio Living Hospice. The family is immensely grateful for their love and support.
George is survived by his beautiful wife, Phyllis; children, Linn (Geoff) Bowen, Kim (Lance) Lubel, Jeff (Heather) Smith, and Cynthia (Carlos) Cata; grandchildren, Drew and Maggie Murphy (Linn), Grace, Caroline and Broden Bowers (Kim); Grant, Madison and Lauren Smith (Jeff); and Elena, Ian and Nathan Cata (Cynthia), as well as his beloved cousin, Judy (Roger) Bates. Phyllis was everything to him, especially during the last few years as dementia was taking over, he never forgot who she was and always wanted to hold her hand.
A private family service will be planned when the snow melts at the Memorial Garden at Old South Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Phyllis and George Smith Scholarship at Miami University (Ohio) http://givetomiamioh.org/SmithScholarship, Old South Church oldsouthchurch.org, or Autism Speaks autismspeaks.org.
Here are some other ways that you can honor the memory of George:
Have a gin martini with olives, go sailing, eat chocolate (ice cream and peanut M&Ms were his favorite), do a crossword puzzle or play solitaire, paint with watercolors, sit outside and appreciate nature, build a roaring fire, plan an epic travel adventure, watch The Sound of Music, tell a really good story, be generous with your time, talents and treasures, write someone a handwritten note, be welcoming to others, and show gratitude.
Arrangements are entrusted to McMahon-Coyne-Vitantonio Funeral Homes in Willoughby and Mentor.
To leave condolences for the family or order flowers, visit www.MCVfuneralhomes.com.
George was born April 6, 1929, in Rockford, Ill., the only son of Mary and George Smith.
George was a first-generation college student, having been inspired to apply for a scholarship by a supportive high school counselor. George met Phyllis at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, where he graduated in 1951. They were set up on a blind date by friends. George went to the bookstore where Phyllis worked to check her out in advance - he was immediately smitten. They were so connected from the start - creating their own “fraternity,” Lambda (Logan) Sigma (Smith) Rho (Rogers) with two other couples who all went on to have long and wonderful marriages.
After college, George spent three years in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps, serving in Austria, which was a dream-come-true for him and from which many a story began with “When I lived in Salzburg…”
George and Phyllis married on March 28, 1953, and settled in Kirtland. They raised their four children there and welcomed many others into their home and family (Lisa McGregor and Gaby Ritchie were “adopted” and beloved daughters.) Many epic parties were thrown on Gildersleeve Drive: Gem Beach parties, progressive dinners, neighborhood gatherings, holiday parties, marching band parties, bridge games, costume parties, family parties with Phyllis’s sister, Joan (Parker) Orr, their four children and Phyllis’s mother, Vera Luttrell, and so many more. Their door was never locked and all were welcome (except no phone calls were permitted during the 6 pm dinner hour!)
George spent his career in management with Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, until he retired in 1990. He was a dedicated employee and was beloved by so many co-workers. For George, work was a means-to-an-end, the most important thing to him was his family and friends.
George had quite a creative streak. He loved to try out new hobbies like rock polishing, watercolor painting, and even building an A-frame house and a tree fort for his children. A lover of theater, he became a thespian in retirement, with many acting roles at The Fine Arts Center in Willoughby. He was the chief landscaper at their home, although not the most patient one—he may or may not have smashed a lawnmower with a sledge hammer when it wouldn’t start, while Phyllis kept the kids and the dog away from him. He received a live goat for his 50th birthday from friends soon after that!
One of George’s core beliefs was the importance of service to others. He was a founding member and volunteer-extraordinaire with The Kiwanis Club of Kirtland for decades and served in multiple roles at the state level. He also volunteered in many ways at Old South Church, including mission trips to Biloxi, Mississippi, Chairperson of the Congregation and being elected Father of the Year at least once. George and Phyllis deeply instilled the value of giving to others in their children and grandchildren.
George’s love of sailing started in the 1970s, when he built a 12’ Mirror Dinghy sailboat from a kit, which the family would haul around on top of the Ford station wagon (always worrying it was going to fly off on the highway.) He loved nothing more than sailing with his family and friends. George upgraded from his handmade wooden boat to several Catalina sailboats, all named Calypso. They spent many years as members of Edgewater Yacht Club, spending weekends sailing and hosting memorable parties with friends and family. Such was the love Phyllis had for George that she waited until her 80s to confess how much she did not actually enjoy sailing, and was really only doing it out of love for him and for the friendships and good times they had! His passion for boats wasn’t limited to sailboats, as he built with his kids an indestructible barge from milk cartons, which was legendary at Gem Beach, an annual gathering of lifelong friends and neighbors that was the highlight of the family’s summers.
In his retirement, he enjoyed traveling with Phyllis to visit their children and grandchildren from Texas to Illinois. They also had some amazing adventures - riding the Concorde to Paris (they both agreed the flight was too short to be worth it!), floating down the Rhine River with friends, annual winter snowbird visits to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Moonbay in Key Largo, Fla.; trips to Hawaii, Jamaica, Switzerland and Italy as well as a very special African safari that George took with Jeff. They loved planning trips, seeing new sights and then cherishing the memories after they returned home. Even in the past few years when they weren’t able to travel afar, George would still be dreaming and scheming about their next destination.
George and Phyllis downsized and enjoyed the move in 2013 to Breckenridge Village in Willoughby, where they quickly became “the party-throwers” of The Landing. They made many friends at Breckenridge and loved the weekly social gatherings and spent many afternoons just sitting on their porch watching the birds and deer.
George loved bragging about his children and grandchildren to anyone that would listen. He was fiercely proud of the good humans they had become. He would show gratitude on a daily basis for the simple things, like the joy of a summer breeze, a great martini and a bowl of ice cream, to the bigger things-gratitude for his long and love-filled marriage to Phyllis and gratitude for those who cared for him and showed him kindness and respect every day.
In his final years, George was cared for and comforted by many amazing caregivers from Taylor Made Home Care and Ohio Living/Ohio Living Hospice. The family is immensely grateful for their love and support.
George is survived by his beautiful wife, Phyllis; children, Linn (Geoff) Bowen, Kim (Lance) Lubel, Jeff (Heather) Smith, and Cynthia (Carlos) Cata; grandchildren, Drew and Maggie Murphy (Linn), Grace, Caroline and Broden Bowers (Kim); Grant, Madison and Lauren Smith (Jeff); and Elena, Ian and Nathan Cata (Cynthia), as well as his beloved cousin, Judy (Roger) Bates. Phyllis was everything to him, especially during the last few years as dementia was taking over, he never forgot who she was and always wanted to hold her hand.
A private family service will be planned when the snow melts at the Memorial Garden at Old South Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Phyllis and George Smith Scholarship at Miami University (Ohio) http://givetomiamioh.org/SmithScholarship, Old South Church oldsouthchurch.org, or Autism Speaks autismspeaks.org.
Here are some other ways that you can honor the memory of George:
Have a gin martini with olives, go sailing, eat chocolate (ice cream and peanut M&Ms were his favorite), do a crossword puzzle or play solitaire, paint with watercolors, sit outside and appreciate nature, build a roaring fire, plan an epic travel adventure, watch The Sound of Music, tell a really good story, be generous with your time, talents and treasures, write someone a handwritten note, be welcoming to others, and show gratitude.
Arrangements are entrusted to McMahon-Coyne-Vitantonio Funeral Homes in Willoughby and Mentor.
To leave condolences for the family or order flowers, visit www.MCVfuneralhomes.com.