Born in Harvey, Illinois, Elbert Juan Smith spent his early years in Blue Island, Illinois, except for a few years in Topeka, Kansas where his sister was born. His father, Elbert Turner Smith, was raised by his maternal grandparents in Blue Island. Elbert's mother, Dorothy Alvina Driese, was born and grew up in Blue Island. Elbert had a younger, more attractive sister, Mildred Irene, and an even younger, smarter brother, Bruce Carl.
Elbert's love adventure began when, through a very fortunate quirk, he met Barbara Ann Musick in 1953 and they dated. Barbara accepted an engagement ring in August 1955, and they married on September 1, 1956 in the chapel of First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Blue Island. Elbert and Barbara were truly blessed with three children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild – son, Alan Smith (sons, Kristopher and Brandon), daughter, Laura Thrash and husband, Greg (sons, Ryne and Reid), and son, Scott Smith and wife, Julie (children, Jaimie Lynn Moore and husband, Christopher, Jonathan (daughter, Georgia), Tristan, and Rebecca).
Career adventures began in 1959 when Elbert graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. Mechanical engineering was his gateway to working with large overhead factory cranes in Harvey, Illinois, and then launcher mechanisms for the Titan I ICBM in Colorado and California. After returning to Colorado to "settle", there were stints testing Apollo space capsule fuel tanks, designing the fuel pump for a new torpedo, a home-office editor for an engineering trade magazine, technical editing in a consulting group, and sales of industrial hydraulics.
It turned out that Elbert's family hadn't settled in Colorado after all. A company in the Dallas area made an offer "too good to pass up," so the family moved to Garland, Texas, in 1976. In Texas, work adventures included engineering manager on mining and well-drilling equipment, hydraulics sales (again), and metal-scrap processing machinery. His last position was with an oil-well service equipment company for which he traveled to Scotland, Poland and the Alaska North Slope. This last position also gave him the opportunity to be granted two US Patents. When Elbert started his career, he never expected to work in so many businesses. However, the cancellation of government contracts, business declines, companies moving more than a thousand miles away, and regrettable job choices can alter one's expectations. In the end, Elbert spent more years in retirement than he ever worked for a single company.
Outside of work, there were the great pleasures of family time while camping and picnicking in Colorado, fishing and water skiing in Texas (the kids skiing, not Elbert), and visiting family members in Illinois, Arizona and New Mexico. Active in the churches the family joined, at various times Elbert served on committees, was an usher, Deacon, Elder, Board Chair and, after retirement, a paid maintenance man.
Then there were the “toy” trains. Everyone in Elbert's family had worked for the Rock Island Railroad in Chicago at one time or another. He dug ditches for the Rock Island over the summers of 1952 and 1953. In the 1980's, Elbert took up model railroading, joined a model RR club, and served 5-1/2 years as secretary/treasurer for a sub-group of the National Model Railroad Association. After retirement, a spare bedroom became his hobby room with a layout around the walls, through the walls of two closets, and into the next room. Elbert loved to entertain his grandkids with trains running around his layout.
Elbert was quick to point out two things: that Mt. Elbert is the tallest mountain in Colorado and in the whole Rocky Mountain Range. Also, his middle name, Juan, came from his mother's stepfather, Leslie Juan Carlos Sutton. However, Elbert was quick to admit that he did not understand Spanish. Picking up a habit from his father, Elbert truly enjoyed teasing with his family and friends, and in being teased.
After Elbert retired in 2000, he and Barbara spent 20 more years living in their longtime Garland home. They served in their church and in the school district until they got tired of taking care of the house. In 2020, they moved into an assisted-living apartment in McKinney, where they enjoyed spending their days together without the distraction of so many responsibilities. Some of their last moments together were spent listening to Laura read their love letters aloud and reminiscing of the life and family they built over 67 years of marriage. Elbert will be dearly missed by all who loved him and those whom he loved so very well.
A memorial service will be held at 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Elbert’s obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/elbert-smith. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location.