Gene C. Smith

He was preceded in death by parents, Clint and Ruby; sister, Peg (Byron) Odell.

Gene will be deeply missed by his wife, Carol; daughter, Cathy Pagels; sons, Nathan and Rodney (Sue); grandchildren, Christy, Alex, David and Courtney; one great granddaughter, Sybil; nephew and nieces, Bruce, Brenda and Carolyn; Carol’s family; and many cousins and friends.

Funeral service will be held at 11am on Monday, November 25, 2019 at Gearhart Funeral Home, 11275 Foley Blvd NW, Coon Rapids. Visitation will begin at 9:30am. Interment at Morningside Memorial Gardens, Coon Rapids.

Thank you to the staff at Edgemont Place for all their care and kindness.

The following is Gene’s story as posted at Edgemont Place where he spent his last 10 months dealing with Alzheimer’s disease:

I was born on July 29th to Clint and Ruby. I grew up with one sister on a small farm. I remember having fun riding a train as a young child. After high school graduation, I worked for a company to bottle pop. I gained my boss’ trust so he let me deliver pop. I also worked at a cement block plant and at UPS for 30 years. They were both physical work, but I worked hard! I enjoyed volunteering at church and coaching softball and basketball. I met my wife, Carol, through my cousin, and we are married for over 56 years. We have three children, Cathy, Nate and Rod, and five grandchildren. I always enjoyed family birthday celebrations with cakes and games. I have always enjoyed softball and the outdoors. I also used to collect vintage model cars. After my retirement, I enjoyed working on a caterpillar to repaint and rebuild, as well as watching grandkids. I still enjoy nature, going for car rides and country, gospel music.