Funeral services for Earl Smith, age 71, of Lemmon, SD will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at the New Hope Worship Center in Lemmon, SD. Deacon Bill Dustman will officiate with burial at the Greenhill Cemetery in Lemmon.

Earl Arthur Smith was born February 15, 1942 in Buffalo, NY to Earl and Minnie (Sarles) Smith, the oldest of seven. At the age of four, the family moved to Springville, NY where he graduated from high school in June 1959.

In the eighth grade, Earl earned the American Legion Certificate of School Award. A pitcher in baseball Little League, he once pitched a no-hitter game. Earl played tennis all four years of high school and won the regional doubles championship with his partner his senior year. (The trophy is still displayed at the high school).

After graduation, Earl traveled with some buddies, working in New Orleans, Boise, a ski lodge in Salt Lake City UT, and the oil fields in Farmington NM. In Portland OR he met and married Donna Lewis on February 23, 1963 after a short courtship. Moving to Aloha OR, they started their family. A son, Earl III (Artie), was born followed by their first daughter Laura. The family moved to Gales Creek, OR in 1972 where a second daughter, Shari, was born. While in Gales Creek, they operated a small farm raising hogs, day-old calves to feed lot size and milking a couple cows. Since the farm was irrigated, many years three cuttings of alfalfa were not unusual.

In January 1964 Earl joined the Aloha Volunteer Fire Department in Oregon. He was hired as a full-time firefighter in April 1966 when the department expanded and renamed to Washington County Fire District No. 1. While in Gales Creek, Earl was instrumental in the formation of a rural volunteer fire station after watching a neighbor's barn burn. Earl left the service of WCFD No. 1 as captain to accept the position as chief of the Rainier OR Fire Department in the spring of 1981. In September 1983, he accepted the position of chief for the newly established fire service district (Bayside) in Kodiak AK. There he was instrumental in the recruitment and training of volunteers, purchasing fire equipment, establishing standard operating procedures and spearheading funding for a burn building and expansion of the fire station. Earl remained in the fire service until his retirement in October 1998 from the Bayside Fire Department in Kodiak AK.

An avid duck and upland game bird hunter, Earl enjoyed big game hunting in New York, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska where he harvested deer, elk, moose and caribou. His bird hunting love brought them to Lemmon SD in 2000 where he enjoyed pheasant hunting and upland game birds. He had hunted pheasants and upland game birds in Oregon, ptarmigan and sea ducks in Alaska, and pheasants and upland game birds in North and South Dakota. Evidence of his hunting expeditions is displayed in the family home.

Earl was extremely proud of his daughters and their businesses in Lemmon. He could be seen driving up and down Main in his silver pickup to keep an eye on each business. Many years of hunting with his son gave him ideas for his son to continue hunting after a disabling illness in 1996. In the midst of emotions, Earl was the logical one in the family. He will be missed and we will always hear ""Yep, let's go for a ride"".

Earl passed away on Thursday morning, February 21, 2013 with his family by his side at his home in Lemmon, SD.

He is survived by his wife, Donna Smith, Lemmon, SD; one son, Earl ""Artie"" Smith, Florissant, CO; two daughters, Laura Casey and Shari Smith, both of Lemmon, SD; three grandchildren, Breanna (Robert) Thomas, Zach Casey and Cameron Casey; one great-granddaughter, Ashlyn Thomas; four brothers, George Smith, Hamburg, NY, Art (Nancy) Smith, Kenmore, NY, Wayne (Sandy) Smith, Sardenia, NY and Roy Smith, Springville, NY; and one sister, Barbara Smith, Gowanda, NY.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Dennis Smith; and one sister-in-law, Myra Hixson.

Visitation will be on Monday, February 25, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. followed by a gathering of friends and family at 7:00 p.m. all at the Evanson-Jensen Funeral Home in Lemmon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Lemmon Relay for Life.