Walter A. "Walt" Smith, 84, of Fountain City, passed away at 4:50 p.m. on Friday, June 8, at Oak Ridge Rehab Center in Richmond.

Born July 22, 1922, in Thorntown, Ind., he was the son of Jeremiah Albert and Lucinda Price Smith, both of whom preceded him in death. He moved to Wayne County at nine months of age.


He married the former Dorothy Richards 66 years ago on Feb. 5, 1941, a union which was blessed to raise five children.

He proudly served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, participating in the Pacific Theatre campaigns to liberate Luzon and Bismarck Archipelago.

He was a millwright and machine repairman at Wayne Works for 33 years, retiring in 1984.

He was a faithful member of the Whitewater Christian Church. He enjoyed spending time fishing and hunting, especially turtle hunting, woodworking and taking on building projects and reading, having read his Bible three times. He also enjoyed activities at the Fountain City Senior Center and was a member of the VFW Post 1108 in Richmond

Mr. Smith will be missed by his wife, Dorothy; two daughters, Charlotte Ferguson of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cynthia Robison of Hamilton, Ohio; three sons, Charles and Dennis, both of Whitewater, Dick of Terre Haute; 14 grandchildren, Daryl, Dirk, Eric, Jerry, Rodney, Jeff, John, Julie, Danny Joe, Mark, Brian, Stephen, Bernadette and Rob; numerous great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.

A funeral ceremony will be conducted by Rev. Larry Girdwood at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, June 12, at the Smith & McQuiston Funeral Home, 321 U.S. 27 South, Fountain City. Interment will follow in Willow Grove Cemetery with military rites conducted by the Wayne County Honor Guard. Family and friends may gather for visitation from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, June 11, at the funeral home.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the CancerFree Kids, P.O. Box 575, Loveland, OH 45140, or the Whitewater Christian Church, 7918 N. 227, Richmond, IN 47374.



Originally published June 10, 2007