Smith, Paul Damian (1925-2018)

SMITH, MCKENNA, JOHNSON, LONG, KRUEGER, SELINGER, ANDERSON

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 5/18/2021 at 17:36:23

Paul Damian Smith
June 18, 1925 - August 21, 2018

Paul Smith, age 93, of Storm Lake, Iowa, died on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center in Storm Lake.

Paul D. Smith, the third of four sons born to Albert and Mary “Mayme” (McKenna) Smith was born on June 18, 1925, in Storm Lake, Iowa. Raised on a family farm Southeast of town, he spent his first two years of school in Storm Lake at St Mary’s, but he graduated from Sulphur Springs in 1942. While his older brothers were in the service he and his younger brother helped their dad with the farm, raising cattle, hogs, and row crops.

After his brothers returned from active service, Paul enlisted in the Army and spent time in Korea after the war. Upon his return, he used his GI bill to obtain his private pilot’s license and along with his brothers, purchased a Piper Cub airplane. Like hundreds of other young people of this generation, he met the love of his life at the Cobblestone Ballroom. Once, while dating Norma Johnson, he thought it would be slick to pick her up on a Sunday afternoon at her parents’ farm near Albert City in his airplane. But while preparing to land on the unpaved road, he decided the narrow strip next to the power lines was not wide enough, and he used the oat stubble instead.

Paul and Norma were married on May 31, 1950, in Laurens. The first few years, they rented while continuing to engage in the family farming operation. In the spring of 1954, however, they moved into the house that they would call home for over sixty years. Indeed, they celebrated their sixty-fifth wedding anniversary there in 2015. There, they raised Jon, Paula, Kris, Phil, Lou, Sarah, and Rob, in the “greenhouse on the south side of the road.” A million memories were formed there. Forever, they will consider this place their family home.

More than just a farmer, Paul, actively, promoted soil conservation techniques for many years and served several terms as a Buena Vista County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner. Every time a “gully washer of a rain” occurred, he would lament poor soil conservation practices. He knew how easily a proper waterway could have been prepared as a minimum effort to slow topsoil erosion, and he had a keen eye for laying out a contour plan for a sloping field. Truly a steward of the land, he enjoyed the responsibility that comes with farming.

As a member of a large extended family, the normal back then, (Between the McKennas and Smiths, Paul had eighty first cousins), he found life always interesting. He enjoyed being able to recall so many names and stories. Raising a large family was easy for him, and he loved every minute of it. Truth be told, he thought it would be good to live a little longer to “spend more time with the kids.” He will be, deeply, missed by all those who knew him.

Those left to cherish his memory include his children: Jonathon Smith, of Jefferson, Iowa, Paula (Ron) Long, of Sac City, Iowa, Phil (Jane) Smith, of Harlan, Iowa, Lou (Don) Krueger, of Austin, Texas; Sarah (Fred) Selinger, of Urbandale, Iowa, and Rob (Michelle) Smith, of Storm Lake, Iowa; his son-in-law, Todd Anderson, of Linn Grove, Iowa; sixteen grandchildren; and eighteen great-grandchildren; as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Norma Smith; his parents, Albert and Mayme Smith; his parents-in-law, Art and Elva Johnson; a daughter, Kristine Anderson; and his siblings: Bob (Enid), Albert, and Mike (Mary) Smith.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, August 25, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Storm Lake. Burial will follow in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Storm Lake with military honors conducted by Storm Lake AMVETS Post 66. Visitation will take place on Friday, August 24, 2018, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. with a Knights of Columbus recitation of the Rosary at 7:00 p.m., all at the Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, please consider planting a tree as a reminder of Paul.

Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Homes, Storm Lake, Iowa, 2018.

Buena Vista Obituaries maintained by LaVern Velau.
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