Michael “Ed” Edward Smith, 83, of Blairsville, died Tuesday, November 16, at Latrobe Hospital.
He was born on May 8, 1938, to Paul and Katherine (Popola) Smith, in Derry, Pennsylvania. He married Sylvia in January 1964 and went on to have two daughters. He was a loving and caring husband and father. Family was the joy of his life.
Prior to retirement, Ed worked at Teledyne Vasco. He served in the US Army from 1961-63. He was an avid hunter and fisherman. He appreciated the little things in life like his morning tea with Oreos and newspaper puzzles. He enjoyed driving especially if it was traveling with family or to visit them. He loved seeing his family, was proud of all of them. Pap was a kid at heart and would light up when seeing his grandkids or great-grandkids and enjoyed spending time with them .
Ed is survived by his wife of 57 years Sylvia (Novalis), two children Sheryl (Eric) Ruffner and Catherine (Steven) Bloom, grandchildren Lenae (Philip) Scafidi, Janna (Cody) Angell, Brody (Megan) Ruffner, and Kenan Ruffer, and 4 great-grandchildren Jude, Abigail, Leyton, and Josie.
He was preceded in death by his parents Paul and Katherine (Popola) Smith, his brother Edward “Paul” Smith, and sister Janet (Smith) Volpe.
There are no events planned, as he did not wish to have services and arranged for his body to be donated to science.
In the true spirit of Ed “Pap”, who demonstrated generosity beyond measure to those he loved and cared for, Let us all remember it is better to give than receive. May we practice giving small tokens of our love to those around us via a smile, hug, story, or a handshake. And simply give towards your own kids or grandkids. If you wish to donate to a charity in his honor, please consider contributing to the Alzheimer’s Association on-line at www.alz.org.
