Lt. Col. Gordon F. Smith of Carrier Mills
Lt. Col. Gordon F. Smith, USMC Retired, 78, of Carrier Mills, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 in Olathe, Kansas.
He was born on July 7, 1940 to Arthur and Lucile (Sailsbury) Smith in Ridgway. Gordon grew up in Junction, and graduated from Equality High School in 1958. On Dec. 30, 1960 he married his high school sweetheart, Mari Lou (Moore) Smith, who survives.
Immediately after his graduation in 1962 from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Gordon joined the U.S. Marine Corps as an officer. His stateside orders moved his small family to Quantico, Virginia, Camp Pendleton, California, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Missouri and Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia.
He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, earning numerous medals and commendations, including the Bronze Star with the Combat "V," the fourth-highest award for combat bravery against an enemy force. Gordon served one year as the second-in-command at the Marine Corps base in Puerto Rico. He also served on the select security team sent to Beirut, Lebanon after the bombing of the Marine Corps barracks there in 1983.
After his retirement from the Marine Corps in 1985, Gordon went on to oversee the construction of a scientific research facility in the Norfolk, Virginia area.
He retired for good in 2001 and returned to his native southern Illinois to enjoy his grandkids, restore old cars and continue transforming an old Trailways bus into a state-of-the-art RV.
Gordon's favorite pastime was deep-sea fishing. His proximity to the ocean in his post-military years allowed him to regularly travel to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where he kept his boat. Most every weekend would find him there, hauling in sea bass, tuna, mahi-mahi and an occasional marlin (swordfish). He helped Mari Lou keep their freezer stocked with fresh fish, which they shared with friends and visiting family.
Gordon is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Mari Lou Smith, also of Carrier Mills, now living in Olathe, Kansas; son, Mike (Sally) Smith of Olathe; four grandchildren, Stephen Smith of Olathe, Garrett (Kaitlin) Smith of Kansas City, Missouri, Kaitlin (Charles) Urwin of Olathe and Lauren (Jordan) Drapal of Overland Park, Kansas; two sisters, Dr. Patricia Smith, M.D. of Ridgway and Marcia (Deen) Barnett of Carmi; brother-in-law Danny Potts of Harrisburg; and four nephews, Jeff (Cheryl) Barnett of St. Louis, Trent Barnett of Evansville, Indiana, Nathan Potts of Harrisburg, and Eric Potts of Evansville.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Marilyn (Smith) Potts.
The family will receive guests for visitation beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Vickery Funeral Chapel in Equality, with the memorial service to follow at the Chapel at 1 p.m. The Rev. Ron Reed will officiate, followed by interment at the Jackson Cemetery near Ridgway with military honors by the Ridgway American Legion Post #596 and the Marine Corps Honor Team.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Gordon's name may be given to Good Shepherd Hospice, 11267 Strang Line Road, Lenexa, Kansas, 66215, in gratitude for the excellent care provided by the Good Shepherd nurses during Gordon's last illness.