Charles Duane Smith

He will be remembered as kind, generous, patient, and hard-working; the stable foundation of the Smith family. He will be missed deeply and remembered often by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Charles lived a remarkable life. He was the third of eight siblings growing up on a dairy farm southeast of Cambridge, Nebraska. The farmhouse where he lived didn’t have electricity or running water, and the family milked cows twice a day, 365 days a year. Charles told the story of surviving the Republican River flood of 1935 while he had chickenpox. He rode a horse to Sunny Hillside Country School and was always a hard worker. He loved raising lambs for 4H, growing watermelon to sell, and growing popcorn to sell to the local theater. He even trapped beavers and sold the pelts to make money.

Charles was the first in his family to pursue education beyond high school. He attended the University of Nebraska Lincoln to study civil engineering. Charles married Hazel Marie Edgerton, also from Cambridge and had three children, Janniver, Timothy, and Kristen. Together they raised their children in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Charles served in the military, then worked for the Nebraska Department of Roads where he used one of the very first computers, an IBM 1620. He was passionate about bridges, and his vacations often included side trips to visit a notable bridge. Eventually his career took him to Chicago, where he designed bridges for the city, and won an AISC Award of Merit for the Geneva Spur Pedestrian Bridge in West Chicago.

When Charles and Hazel retired, they moved back to Nebraska and lived in Papillion, where Charles enjoyed his golden years woodworking, golfing, and reading. He could create almost anything out of wood, beautiful pieces. He'd say “just send me a picture,” if you had a request. He scored his first hole-in-one at Tara Hills Golf Course at the age of 86. He was such a voracious reader that he would often catch himself re-reading a book he had already read and know the ending, a problem he solved by tracking his books on a spreadsheet.

Charles made the best from-scratch buttermilk pancakes and Swedish pancakes, and there was always room for one more person around the breakfast table. He had a spreadsheet with scaled up or down ingredient calculations so that any unexpected guest could easily be factored in. As cooking became difficult in his later years, he would regularly treat family to pancake breakfasts at First Watch in Papillion, where he’d always order his favorite: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and coffee with real cream.

Charles was always willing to help out with his daughter and son-in-law’s business, Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, in Gretna. He drove tractors, helped his granddaughter build a coffee house, and tossed pancakes at a few pancake breakfasts (his recipe is in the Vala’s Cookbook). He’s best known for designing the Pumpkin Creek Bridge, which helped expand the farm to a new area of the property. Thousands of Vala’s guests think of him as they cross the beautiful bridge each fall.

Charles’ son, Tim, noted that heaven better be stocked with Vala’s apple cider donuts and Baskin-Robbins' Pralines & Cream ice cream. Even on one of the final days of his life, in a barely audible gravelly voice, Charles dictated things to be taken from his freezer at Trinity. When asked about the donuts, he said "Don't take the donuts!"

Charles and his family would like to thank the Howard Carson family, including Kathy & Karen; the Lucretia Hall family; and the Paula Freeman family for their neighborly help, gifts of service and meals, particularly in his failing years when even simple chores became difficult.

Charles is survived by his son, Tim Smith, and daughter, Kristen Smith, along with eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles F. Smith and Eva (Perdue) Smith; wife, Hazel (Edgerton) Smith; and daughter, Janniver (Smith) Vala.

Charles will be remembered as "Nebraska stoic": generally quiet and reserved, but always quick with a donation of time, money, or advice, particularly to his children or grandchildren who came to visit. These donations were often termed "travel" money, a carryover from his own father. Whenever Tim Smith is asked about his upbringing, he responds "I was raised by Ward and June Cleaver." Charles and Hazel embodied the timeless values of love, stability, kindness, and devotion to family: gifts that will be cherished and carried forward for generations to come.