George Smith Obituary, Death – George Smith was the only child of his single mother, Jane Drake Smith, and was reared in a very modest family. George Smith was born on October 17, 1947, in Glasgow, Scotland, and was raised as an only child by his mother. His upbringing was heavily influenced by the strictness of the British educational system, the austerity of postwar Scotland, and the harshness of the streets of Glasgow. In spite of these challenges, George was able to leave school at the young age of 15 and start making a living in the shipyards on the River Clyde, beginning as an office boy and working his way up to being a skilled millwright.
George developed into a vivacious young man and a highly competent professional throughout his time spent working and living in Glasgow during the 1960s and early 1970s. After meeting, falling in love with, and marrying his beautiful bride Irene Kelly, George was greeted and graced by the birth of his first child, Gary. at the late 1970s, George was given with the opportunity to work at a steel mill in Sault Ste. Marie, which is located in Ontario, Canada. George was brave enough to take the job. George took advantage of the opportunity and relocated his young family away from the comfortable surroundings of Glasgow, a city that had shaped him and which he had mastered, in order to go to a country that was not only geographically isolated from his birthplace but also by an ocean, an ocean that he saw every working day and designed ships to travel. George moved his family to a country that was not only geographically separated from his homeland but also by an ocean.
In the 1980s, George continued to provide for his family and construct a new life with his wife, Irene, his young son, Gary, and now with the addition of his little daughter, Karen, he was graced and honored by the presence of his young daughter. As a master millwright, George would take on apprentices at the steel mill and subsequently the paper mill in the Sault, where he worked as a master millwright. He would pass on his knowledge and experience to the apprentices. Throughout the 1990s, he fostered new relationships and friendships within his community by participating in activities such as curling, coaching Gary’s minor hockey team, rooting for the Soo Greyhounds, and indulging his passion for golf.
In the early 2000s, George moved to Kitchener, Ontario, with his wife, Irene, to follow and be close to his children, Gary and Karen. Gary and Karen had taken some of George’s determination, spirit, and courage, and they made opportunities for themselves, each becoming successful in their respective fields of computer science and graphic design. Gary and Karen had taken some of George’s determination, spirit, and courage, and they made opportunities for themselves, each becoming successful in their respective fields of computer science and graphic design.
George maintained his outgoing personality and made new acquaintances during his time in Kitchener, particularly on the golf courses where he not only played the game but also worked as a marshal. George switched his allegiance from “footie” to hockey and became a devoted supporter of the Kitchener Rangers, for whom he purchased season tickets. George brought joy into the lives of his son-in-law Joseph, his daughter-in-law Trudy, and Trudy’s son Tyler. George also brought joy into his own life. George was a naturally helpful person who would make time to assist his family, friends, and even complete strangers. This was because he understood what it was like to be on the receiving end of charity himself.
Certain facets of our lives might, at times, come to represent who we are as individuals, and the same is true for George in certain respects. George’s tendency for gregariousness can be attributed to the fact that he was raised by a single mom and was an only child. Additionally, the simplicity of his upbringing instilled in him a sense of compassion for his fellow man and an understanding that everyone is delicate and, at times, requires assistance, and that the vulnerable should be protected.
In the beginning, George had a job in one of Glasgow’s many shipyards. Who knew that one day, after witnessing the point where the River Clyde met the Atlantic Ocean, he would travel across that ocean in search of a better life for himself and his family? During the course of his working life, George was employed at a paper mill in Sault Ste. Marie. Due to the fact that he was an avid book reader and consumed books in the same manner that one would consume food, paper was never far from his reach. Because George constantly read books with black ink and white pages, his mind was always quite keen. George’s active mind provided him with a wit as sharp as a razor, and his upbringing provided him with a dry, dark sense of humor that was also fun.
George’s passion for music, especially progressive rock, has always been a reflection of the depth and consideration he possessed as a human being, and it is quite likely that this passion helped him temper his soul. He expressed not just his intellect but also his soul through the medium of music. The fact that George worked in a steel mill demonstrated both his dogged perseverance and his solid commitment to his job. George never entertained the notion that there was such a thing as a job or a project that he could not do if he applied his intelligence and worked hard.
Therefore, George has always been a representation of something created from steel. Steel is a material that is hard-working, flexible, and forgiving, up to the tiniest or largest duty being asked of it; it can be honed and made sharp; and it is tempered not only via hard effort but also by other, gentler means. George has always been a representation of steel. How fitting that his family name was Smith, considering that he exemplified steel in every way! George suffered an unexpected illness in January of 2023, and after a long and difficult battle in the intensive care unit at Grand River Hospital for six weeks, he passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 26, 2023. He was 75 years old. The steel had, at long last, yielded to the pressure.