John M. Smith
John “Jack” M.
Smith, 89, passed away on February 20, 2017 at home. He was born in Fond du Lac
on May 4, 1927, a son of Elmer and Rose (Dazinski) Smith. John graduated from
Fond du Lac High School. He proudly served in the United States Army during
WWII with the 2nd Engineer Special Brigade in the Pacific Theater.
John married the love of his life, Donna M. Becker, on May 24, 1952 at St.
Joseph’s Church in Fond du Lac.
John was
Road Captain with the Fondy Riders MC. He was a charter member of Sacred Heart
Parish, a trustee, an usher, a member of Holy Name Society and very devout in
his Christian faith. John taught management skills classes through Moraine Park
Technical College. He was President of the FDL Safety Council for several
years.
John worked
for 34 years at Canvas Products/Medalist. Later, he worked for Brooke
Industries where he genuinely enjoyed the clients and staff.
There are no
words that best describe our Dad and Grandfather. Our Dad loved his family. He
was so proud of all his kids. He let us know all the time. No one was in jail
and we all had jobs. We were successful in life in his eyes. We had roofs over
our heads and food in our bellies.
Dad helped
us all whenever he could. From advice to fixing things to just being there for
us. He loved our Mom with every fiber of his being. We all know this now for
sure, as he could not live without her. He is with her now, happy and free of
all that ailed him.
He had the
gift of gab and loved to tell his stories of his time in service for our great
country that we live in. He loved telling the story of how he and Mom met and
all that they did when they were young and foolish. He let us know how much we,
as their children, were wanted and made sure that we all knew how much we were
loved by them. Their main goal was to have a family that all got along and were
on speaking terms.
John is
survived by five children Deborah (John) Stephany, Rosemarie (Terry) Stotzheim,
Michael (Shelly) Smith, Matthew (fiancé, Cheryl) Smith and Rachel (Mark) Jones;
ten grandchildren, Leah, Kyle, Kevin, Samuel, Patrick, Michelle, Nicholas,
Kassandra, Nathan and Marcus; and four great grandchildren Amelia, Kylie,
Christian and Lily. He is further survived by many nieces and nephews.
John was
preceded in death by his wife, Donna, on January 31st , 2017, his
parents and one brother, James.
Visitation: John’s
family will greet relatives and friends at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 200 S.
Peters Ave., Fond du Lac on Friday, February 24th, 2017 from 10:30
to 11:45 AM.
Service: A
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at Sacred Heart Church at
Noon. Entombment will follow at Chapel of the Risen Christ Calvary Mausoleum
with full military honors provided by American Legion Post 75.
Zacherl
Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family. www.zacherlfuneralhome.com