Curtis Glenn Smay

Curtis Glenn Smay, 87, of Cottage Hills, IL, passed away peacefully, with family by his side, on Friday, December 6, 2024 at Christian Northeast Hospital, under Hospice Care.
He was born to Leslie Howard Sr & Ruth (Hunt) Smay on April 3, 1937, in Brown County, IL.
On January 11th of 1958, in the living room of his soon-to-be in-law's house, in Hartford, IL, he married the love of his life, Joyce E Moore. They celebrated 66 years of marriage this year. They were very devoted to each other, and their love grew deeper as each year passed. Together they built a beautiful life and family.
They had four children, whom he adored, Mark (Gale) Smay, Matt Smay, Suzanne (Dennis) Scherff, and Sondra Smay. He is also survived by one brother, Ed (Fran) Smay; in-laws PJ (Mike) Green, Patty King, Garry Moore; 12 Grandchildren, who were the lights of his life: Aaron (Vonda), Ryan (Jennifer), Stacy (Diego), Eric "Big E" (Merissa), Nicole (Mike), Catie (Kyle), Amy (Mike), Chad (Jessica), Andrew (Cait), Kyle (Crystal), Joel (Kate), Curtis; 21 Great-Grandchildren, in which we all believe he adored the most; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He retired from Laclede Steel in Alton, IL, as an electrician, after 30 years of service. He was a part of the Volunteer Madison County Sheriff's Department in Cottage Hills, in the late 60's and early 70's, where he was very proud to have helped raise money to buy a patrol car for the area. He was a beekeeper, and a Scout Leader for Matt and Mark's Scout pack. He owned numerous rental properties throughout Forest Homes, maintaining all himself. Most people referred to him as being a 'Jack of all trades'. He could fix almost anything. Most people were both surprised and fascinated by the extent amount of knowledge he had about all things. He was very humble and was always willing to help others fix what needed to be fixed. He enjoyed family get-togethers, especially the ones he could play guitars with his brothers at. He enjoyed Western movies/TV shows, and watching/predicting the Stock Market's activity. After retirement, he became a member of Laclede Steel Retirees, Granite City SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees), and the Goldenaire's Club. He stayed busy by tinkering with small engines, finding and fixing garage sale items that were said to be broken, gardening, reading, and last but not least, spending as much time as he could with his family. In the most recent months, he looked forward to "supervising" during PJ and Mike's move. He loved his sweets, especially his wife's made-from-scratch desserts, but unfortunately, he was a diabetic and couldn't indulge as often as he wanted to. He did enjoy sneaking as many bites as he could without getting caught and also hiding regular candy in his sugar-free candy tin.
He was preceded in death by his parents, ten of his siblings, and two brother-in-law's.
Per his last wishes, a private graveside service for immediate family will take place. If you'd like to honor his memory, please have a sweet treat or two for him.
The immediate family would also like to send a special Thank You to Mike, PJ, and Abbey for the countless hours of love, support, laughter, and assistance. We are extremely appreciative and cannot thank you enough.
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