Jerry A. Smith

1940 - 2022

Jerry A. Smith, D.O., PhD, FACOS, of Poncha Springs, passed away unexpectedly at home on Friday, December 9th. He was born in Portland, Indiana to Paul and Mary Ellen (Harreld) Smith.

He was raised in Winchester, Indiana and graduated from White River High School. He attended the University of Indiana, Bloomington and Abilene Christian University, Abilene Texas, where he majored in Bible. He returned to Garrett and Portland, Indiana where he served the local congregations of the Church of Christ. He completed his BS and MS in Biology at Ball State University. He completed his PhD in Biology from the University of North Texas.

He worked for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia in Limnology as the Assistant Department Chairman and Director of Research Projects.
From there, he was a Professor of Biology at Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He then pursued his original dream of medical school. He completed medical school at Oklahoma State University, Tulsa. His internship and first 3 years of surgical residency were completed at OSU Medical Center-Tulsa. He completed his final year as chief resident at the former Ft. Worth Osteopathic Hospital.

He had surgical practices in Waterville, Maine; Rhinelander, Wisconsin; Kirksville, Missouri; Winona, Minnesota; Grand Fork, North Dakota; and Salida, Colorado.

As a surgeon, he shared his talents on surgical mission trips with Health Talents International, Guatemala; Predisan, Honduras; Caris Foundation, Kenya; Kenya Relief, Kenya; Medical Ministries International, Dominican Republic; and Samaritans Purse in Ethiopia, Iraq, and Ukraine. Jerry also volunteered his time as an elder at the Poncha Springs Church of Christ, bible class teacher, 4-H, various wrestling clubs, Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp, and most recently with Chaffee County South Search and Rescue. His interests were varied and included woodworking, traveling, music, religious studies, reading, hunting, many outdoor activities, and flying as a pilot of nearly 60 years.

Jerry is preceded in death by an infant daughter, Ellen Faye, a son, Jeffrey Allen, and his parents Paul and Mary Ellen Smith, and Eleanor Lester Smith.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Susan; son Timothy (Justin & Whitney and family); daughter Jina & Greg Graham (Jesseka, Ereka, Drake, and families); son Trent & April (Beau, Alex); daughter Sarah; son Jared & Rachel; sister Janet (Lee) Hargrave (Brad, Brian, Brett, and families); sister in-law Janice (Hartmut) Scheffler (Mark, Nicole); and his beloved Elkhound, Elli. He is also survived by 4 great-grandsons, 1 great-granddaughter, and many other extended family members.

A Celebration of Life with Family and Friends will be held in early summer 2023. Memorials may be made to Wisconsin Christian Youth Camp (wcyc.com), Kenya Relief (kenyarelief.com), or Samaritans Purse (Samaritanpurse.org).