George W. Smith of Looneyville, WV passed away on the morning of Thursday, February 7, 2019, after a short illness in a hospital in Melbourne, FL.  He was 78 years young.

George was born on May 29, 1940 in Charleston, WV.  He went on to marry his childhood sweetheart, and raise a family with her in Cross Lanes, WV.  George was the definition of a great family provider, working hard until his retirement from Bayer in 2002 after 35 years of employment.  However, retirement just made more time for him to work harder on lifelong hobbies he enjoyed more.  George loved to hunt on his property, and tend to his garden for canning with his wife.  He loved to fish, grill, pick fresh berries, and listen to country radio when there wasn’t a game worth watching.  He passed his love of the land and his passion for hard work on to anyone he spent time with including the younger generations of his family.  “Papaw George” became one of the titles he was most proud of and he preserved as many memories as possible, always having a camera or a camcorder in his hand.  He chronicled decades of birthdays, holidays, fish fries, beach vacations, four wheeler rides, and family gatherings over the years.  His family is lucky to have so many good memories documented, but will forever miss his strength, smiles, jokes, hugs, and his presence moving forward.

George was preceded in death by his parents George W. Smith, Sr. and Marcella Edythe Smith.  George is survived by his spouse of 62 years, Opal Douglas Smith, as well as their children Butch (Robin) Smith, Chuck (Kim) Smith Sr., and Leesa (Paul) Ross.  He is also survived by his siblings Edythe (Lonnie) Paschall (Edie), Bernard Smith (Bernie) and Lois Fidler (Annie) as well as his grandchildren Brandy Bolton, Channa (Scott) Leighton, Chuck Smith, Jr., Eric Smith, and Kristina Smith.  Lastly, he is survived by his great-grandchildren Andrew Sheffield, Ansley Bolton, Aiden Mooney, Kenlee Leighton, CharleeAnn Leighton, and Michael Leighton.

A memorial service honoring his life is to be held at a future date and time.  The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, monetary donations be sent to the Amma Community Center where he and Opal have been long time volunteers and supporters.  Amma Community and Senior Center Box 14 Amma, WV 25005.