

Lou (as he was known to many) was born in Terre Haute, IN to Vernon Leonard (Pete) Smith and Elizabeth Ann Nagy Smith Withers on April 5, 1939. Lou was raised in a Catholic home and went to primary school at St Anne’s in Terre Haute and then went on to high school at Paul C. Schulte High School. There he met and fell in love with Mary Frances McCullough. He married Mary Frances August 26, 1961 in Terre Haute. They were married nearly 49 years when Mary Frances preceded him in death on August 13, 2010.
After earning a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University, Lou served in the US Air Force where he attained the rank of First Lieutenant. Lou and Mary Frances moved many times in their lives. First to Michigan and Texas during his military career, then St. Louis, Missouri, Peoria, Illinois, St Paul, Minnesota, and finally to Aurora, Colorado. All of the moves were a result of his career in Information Systems and he retired as a consultant mostly working on fixing the Y2K bug for the State of Colorado.
Lou loved his family both at home and his very extensive family in Indiana and California. The family drove thousands of miles over the years to stay connected to extended family. He had several interests including woodworking and road trips, but his first love was golf. He played in city leagues wherever he lived, and followed golf on TV. He and Mary Frances played in bridge leagues and Lou continued to play at the Longmont Senior Center.
Lou is survived by his daughters, Marie Therese (Mark) Gorham, Jeanette (Clint) Schahrer and Ellen (Pete) Scheier. Grandchildren, Greg (Alyssa) Gorham, Will Gorham, Rebecca Gorham, Kathryn Gorham, Cameron (Paige) Schahrer, David (Kourtney) Schahrer, Thomas Schahrer, Nicole Zolman and Emily Zolman and great grandson Oliver Gorham.
He was preceded in death by his siblings Mary Elizabeth, Delores (Dee), William Joseph (Joe), Patricia (Pat), Charles (Chuck), and Margaret (Marg). He is survived by a half-brother, Ed Withers, and close cousins Peggy (Fred), Rosemary (Mike), Susan (Gene), Janice (Steve), Denise (Lyle) and Martin (Jill) and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Visitation is from 5-7 Monday, July 10 at the Howe Funeral home in Longmont, Colorado. Mass of Christian Burial will be held July 11, 2023 at St. Mary Magdalene in Denver, Colorado, at 11:00 am followed by burial at Ft. Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, at 2 pm.
PALLBEARERS
Gregory Gorham
Cameron Schahrer
William Gorham
David Schahrer
Thomas Schahrer
Rebecca Gorham
Kathryn Gorham
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