Edward J. Smith, age 89, of Sand Lake passed away at his residence on August 22, 2015. He was born April 12, 1926 in Lakeview, the son of John and Margaret Smith. As a teenager, Ed worked for his brother, Francis, at Smitty’s Garage in Lakeview. He also worked delivering coal in the Lakeview area. He served his country in the US Army during WWII and was a member of the Sand Lake VFW Post. After the war he worked for Dohler Jarvis in Grand Rapids and Toledo as a die cast repair man, retiring after 35 years. Ed never lost his love for auto mechanics and was noted in Sand Lake for being able to fix most anything. He was always willing to help neighbors and the Village of Sand Lake with repairs. Many children learned how to repair their bicycles from Ed. Ed loved to fish, hunt and camp. He enjoyed riding motorcycle and fast cars. He also loved to restore old cars and tractors. Ed and his wife Laura could often be found sitting on the swing in their front yard. In his senior years Ed rarely missed Friday music at the Howard City Senior Center. Surviving are his wife Laura; children, Dan (Jane) Smith of Pierson, Margaret Merritt of Sand Lake, Sandra (Harold) McConnell of Sparta, Edward (Karin) Jr. Smith of Ohio, Randy (Roxie) Smith of Texas, John (Cheryl) Smith of Sand Lake, Lori (Scott) Wesche of Howard City; 23 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild; one sister Dorothy Briggs of Muskegon; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Francis and Ray Smith and one sister Charlotte Rogalewski. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, August 29th at 11 am at the Heckman Funeral Home in Howard City with burial in the Pierson Cemetery, where Military Honors will be conducted by the Howard City VFW Post. The family will greet friends on Friday, August 28th from 2-4 and 6-8 pm and prior to services on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Howard City Senior Center, 132 E. Edgerton, PO Box 399, Howard City, MI 49329 Attention Delores Becker.
Arrangements by Heckman Funeral Home, Howard City
