George "Pecky" SMILANICH

I´ll always remember Pecky with a smile, which is how he always greeted everyone he met. The man had a way of making you the focus of any interaction. We were surely blessed to know both of your parents.

Please accept my deepest sympathy at to passing of your dear dad Pecky. I took care of your both your mom and dad at the bank in Hibbing and they were lovely people. I was always so happy to see Pecky and he would wait for me to help him, we always had the best laughs. At any rate your dad impacted my life in a positive way and I am proud and happy to have known him. Sincerely, Vickie Sogard ( retired from Wells Fargo bank)

I was a young track coach at Silver Bay, and I got to know Pecky at the Doc Savage and other track meets. We ended up timing first place together at several meets. Coaches did a lot of visiting between races, some of it not in English. As the gun went off on a heat of the 100, Pecky was facing away from the starting line talking to someone. He heard the gun and hit the start button on his watch, but I knew that his time would be short. At the end of the race, Pecky came up to me with his...

I first remember Mr. George "Pecky" Smilinach when he returned to Buhl High School in the middle '50's to teach and coach us in football and basketball. My next contact with "Pecky" was as a co-worker at Hibbing High School where we spent many years working together while reminiscing about our Buhl roots. We became good friends with Pecky and "Tudy." Later on during retirement we met with friends including his former Buhl teammates at reunions and social gatherings. Pecky always greeted you...

Loved the guy. His stories were always entertaining. What a life he lived. My favorite memory from HHS study hall “Ridlon you got any gum?” Our sincere condolences Tommy, Susan and families. He will be missed.

Both my Dad's and Mom's families settled in Lucknow when they immigrated from Poland and Croatia, respectively. They all went to the same schools and "grew-up" together.
My Dad was a Medic in WWII. I often heard the story, not sure if it was D-day in Normandy or the Battle of the Bulge, when my Dad in the battlefield, heard someone calling, "Mooie! Mooie!" He couldn't imagine who would be calling his nickname. Who would even know him so far away from home. It was Pecky Smilanich! My...