Gerald Paul Smith

Smith, Gerald Paul, 78 (1946-2025)

Gerald was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan; Nov 27,1946, to James Arthur Smith and Lora Ida (Wedgwood) Smith. He passed away peacefully in hospice care June 22, 2025. Gerald enjoyed lifelong hobbies using his mechanical skills to tinker, repair, and rebuild engines on lawn mowers, tractors, bulldozers, cars, skidoos, and motorcycles just for fun. He built various projects such as mini bikes, hovercrafts, and resourcefully used discarded recycled motors and wheels on abandoned items revitalizing them into makeshift vehicles. He was generous with his time and resources, happily volunteered to fix anything family or friends asked him to repair, and always had time for "kaffee klatsch" conversation and storytelling. He is remembered for his love of outdoors, nature hikes, wildlife, camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, farming, and rescuing horses. Jerry drove his El Camino to Anchorage Alaska and lived there several years. God blessed Jerry with excellent mechanical aptitude which gave him the ability for successful careers in tool and die, school maintenance and repair. Gerald was a Specialist: E4 in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers at Pleiku Air Force Base, Vietnam; 1967-1969 where he was a skilled radio operator. He was able to build, maintain, and ingeniously repair any radio, wiring, or technical problem. Jerry was preceded in death by grandparents Gerrit and Frances (Wright) Smith; Eugene and Nieskje "Nellie" (Folkema) Wedgwood; parents James and Lora Smith; and brother Richard Dale Smith. He is survived by sister Karen Sue Schaap, brother Stephen James Smith, daughter Brandy Ann Anderson, two grandchildren, multiple nieces, nephews, and cousins.