Eugene Richard "Gene" Smith, died on July 13, 2024, at the family farm surrounded by his loving family.

Gene was born September 13, 1950, at Norwalk Memorial Hospital in Norwalk, to the late Rudolph and Donelda (Kehres) Smith, and passed away in the same home that he grew up in. Gene was a 1968 graduate of St. Paul High School, after which he served in the United States Air Force from 1969 until 1973. Gene married Rosemary Lesch on August 25th, 1973 at St. Paul Catholic Church in Norwalk after having known each other since grade school. Gene worked for the local phone company and retired with Verizon after 36 years.

While Gene was a dutiful and dedicated employee, he most enjoyed the time that he spent at home with his family on the farm. He loved tractors, woodworking, tinkering with a new project and was always willing to help another person. The most important thing in Gene's life was his family. He cherished every moment he spent with those he loved and was the truest definition of a family man. He would be honored to be remembered as a storyteller, and those that heard his stories will surely remember him as such.

Gene is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 51 years, Rosemary "Rose" (Lesch); their fraternal twins, Daniel Smith (his wife Heather and their daughters Harper, Claire & Maeve) of Austin, TX, and Jeffrey Smith (his wife Jennifer and their children Nicholas & Madeline) of Norwalk, and Jacob Smith (his wife Karen and their sons, Noah, Owen & Grant) of Cincinnati; siblings, Norita (Ron) Jaworski of Norwalk, Rudy (Judy) Smith of Bellevue, and Patricia (Charles) Gies of Norwalk.

In addition to his parents, Gene was preceded in death by two brothers, John (Barbara) Smith, and Leon (Janice) Smith.

The family will hold a private graveside service at Woodlawn Cemetery, Norwalk. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Firelands Historical Society and Laning-Young Research Center, P.O. Box 572, Norwalk, Ohio 44857.