Joel Herman-Winter Smith

Joel Smith was born in El Cerrito California on April 23 1933. He passed away at Alta Bates Summit hospital in Oakland February 20, 2017 at 5:20 pm with his two sons Jeff and Danny by his side holding his hand and his wife Ruth with her hand on Joel's heart as he took his final breath and passed into the Kingdom of Heaven. Joel lived a long life and stayed faithful to his beautiful wife Ruth Smith for 55 years. Joel's enduring love and sacrifice for his wife are an amazing testimony to his personal faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Joel made loving his wife and children the priority of his life. To the best of his ability he lived according to Ephesians 5:25 To love his wife just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Joel spent many long hours working in the Bay Area hills building homes and working as a masters carpenter to provide for his family. Through the years, he had to fight through much adversity but never lost the will and grit to rebuild in the face of massive loss. Wether he was faced with unexpected financial loss or devistation from floods and fires, Joel was a mans man who would always get back up and face loss with relentless courage as he pushed forward to rebuild his life. He overcame record numbers of physical injuries during his long career and later on as his heart and joints began to fade. Through it all he continued to pour out his life for his wife, his sons and his grandchildren. Joel's grand children were the light of his life and he loved them like no other Poppy could. Good bye Dad, we will love you forever.

Arrangements under the direction of Howell-Edwards-Doerksen with Rigdon-Ransom Funeral Directors, Salem, Oregon.