Wayne LeRoy Smith

Smith, Wayne LeRoy age 89, of Hanover, Indiana, formerly of New Brighton, Minnesota passed away on Christmas Day at 4:40 a.m. at the Thornton Terrace Health Campus in Hanover, Indiana after a long illness. A man with a thousand stories, Wayne led an interesting life. Born in Putnyville, Pennsylvania in 1923, Wayne moved to Newark, New Jersey after high school and worked at a General Motors plant building Grumman Wildcat fighters during World War II. During this time he concurrently attended General Motors Institute on a cooperative program, earning an engineering degree in 1947. Following the completion of his studies, Wayne served in the U.S. Army for four years as an explosive ordinance and disposal expert, his initial two years of service extended an additional two years because of the Korean War. An entrepreneur and salesman at heart, Wayne moved to Detroit, Michigan following his military service and began his lifelong career selling, designing and building machine tools. He founded 'Methods and Equipment Associates', a machine tool sales and support company located in Livonia and Flint, Michigan, and was CEO of Lyon Incorporated, a machine tool manufacture in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Wayne traveled the world sourcing and selling machine tools and fell in love with both Japan and Italy. NASA requested Wayne's assistance to help resolve problems with machining the Space Shuttle's heat tiles. Wayne designed a machine to do the job and rather than sell the design he gave it to NASA, insisting it was his patriotic duty. Wayne spent the last two decades of his career working at Kurt Manufacturing in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a job he loved and retired from at the age of 86. He was married for 58 years to Regina Kraszewska, who preceded him in death. An avid hunter and pilot, Wayne would regal whoever would listen with tales of 'big bucks' taken and airplanes flown. He enjoyed golf and was a 32nd Degree Mason. Although Wayne had no children of his own, he was beloved "Uncle Smitty" to Colleen Griffith-Regal, Craig Griffith, and Celeste Griffith Reed, children of his best friend, Clarence 'Griff' Griffith. His loving nephew, Vernon 'Keith' Smith of Pennsylvania, was extremely supportive of Wayne in his later years until Keith's passing two years ago. Per Wayne's wishes, he will be cremated and laid to rest in Bowling Green, Kentucky next to 'Griff's' grave site. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Donor's Choice and cards are available at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana. Online condolences, www.morgan-nay.com