Harold J. Smith (Smitty), 82, passed away on October 20, 2011, at the Hallmark Homes Nursing Home in Federal Way, Washington. His final days were spent surrounded by his wife and children.

In honor of his last wishes, no memorial service will be held.

Harold was born February 28, 1929 , in Barnesville, Minnesota, to Charles and Selma (Arneson) Smith. He was raised and attended schools in the Barnesville and Detroit Lakes area.

He served in the United States Air Force from May, 1952 to December, 1954 and was stationed in Nuremburg, Germany.

In 1955, Harold returned to Detroit Lakes and worked as a truck driver for Johnson Transfer until 1957 at which time, he moved to Glasgow, Montana. Harold became a plumber and worked for Elmer Johnson Heating & Plumbing. He later went to work for the Glasgow School District as the Buildings and Grounds Maintenance Supervisor.

Harold was married to Bernadine Brandt on July 16, 1960 until July 2, 1974. On December 31, 1975 he married JoAnn Kerzman Schmidt. Together, they moved to Kennewick, Washington in 1979 where he worked as a plumber for the Kennewick School District until his retirement in May, 1994.

Harold was very social and enjoyed outdoor activities. He spent a lot of time hunting and fishing. After his retirement, he attended swap meets and auctions, organized yard sales and built utility trailers. His passion was volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and the Tacoma Adventist food bank. He loved meeting people and passing on his experiences and knowledge to his children, grandchildren and anyone who would listen.

Harold was preceded in death by his parents (Charles and Selma Smith), brothers Raymond Nelson and Kenneth Nelson, sisters Eunice Efteland and Vera Sprague.

He is survived by his wife JoAnn Smith of Tacoma, Washington and his sister Jeannette Taylor of Seattle.

His 5 children: Vincent Smith of San Jon, NM; Valerie Reiland (Cletus) of Spokane, WA; Pamela Balkcom (Joe) of Gardner, KS; Michael Schmidt (Michelle) of Kennewick, WA; and Damian Smith (Michelle) of Everett, WA.

(10) grandchildren: Matthew Campbell; Kelsey Balkcom; Cory Smith; Amy Smith; Bethany Finch; Curtis Reiland; Dustin Reiland; Stephinee Bauder; Kayla Schmidt and Rylynn Smith.

(3) great grandchildren: Misty; Isaiah and Titus