Franklin H. Smith

Franklin H. Smith, 92, of St. Joseph died on Wednesday morning, July 4, 2012 at Caretel Inns. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 10:00 AM Monday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 914 Lane Dr., St. Joseph, officiated by Rev. Paula Durren. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery with military rites conducted. Friends may call from 2:00 to 4:00 PM Sunday at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road , St. Joseph. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church or Lest We Forget. Friends wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Frank was born September 7, 1919 on a farm on Hilltop Road to Elizabeth Koch and Thomas Henry Smith. He was the youngest of 8 children. Frank graduated from St. Joseph H.S. in 1937. He went to Indiana University and graduated in 1941 with a B.S. in Business. There he met the love of his life Marguerite Barnes who passed away in December 2009. They were happily married for 67 years. Frank loved his family, his university, his hometown, and his country. In college he was president of his fraternity and a member of the varsity football team. Upon college graduation he reported to Ft. Custer for military duty. Frank served as an Army captain in the Fifth Infantry Division during WWII and was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He was severely wounded while conducting a rescue mission in France, and soon needed to be rescued himself. After a career with the Aetna Insurance Co. in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, Frank returned to St. Joseph, the city he loved, to become an independent insurance agent. He was a partner with Leo Rutz in the Rutz-Smith Agency. Frank was a founder and principal of Insurance Management Services serving as chairman. He also was chairman of People’s Savings Association. Frank’s great love for St. Joe led him to run for city commission. He served for 24 years and was mayor for 18 years. Frank loved representing the city and took great pride in seeing the vision he and the other commissioners had for St. Joe come to fruition. He was involved in other civic endeavors. For many years Frank served on the St. Joseph Downtown Development Authority and was one of the organizers of St. Joseph Today. He also was a past president of the Safety Council. Frank lived a full life and was a great storyteller. His family and friends would marvel at the variety of his stories – growing up during the Depression, playing sports, time in the Army, living in St. Joe, and his many travels with Marguerite. He was a long time member of the Lions Club having served as president. Frank also was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where he was on the Vestry as church treasurer. In his later years he thoroughly enjoyed his membership in Lest We Forget. It is fitting that such a patriotic man died on the most patriotic of days. Frank is survived by his children: Kathy (Bob) Keck of Crawfordsville, IN; Tom (Kay) Smith of St. Joseph; Frank (Julie) Smith Jr. of Cincinnati, OH; and Sally (Mark) Krause of Chicago, IL. Also 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren survive.