Tribute to Ashton Smith, 9th Warder

 

Ashton Smith, dead at age 103. Ashton passed away two days after his 103 birthday, March 1, 2023. His family had a party for him and someone in his family took this picture, which his nephew, Larry Smith sent to me. While blurry, it aptly represents the blurred vision we have of someone passing into the spirit world. We wonder what he is thinking with that fond "Goodbye." As his neighbor for many years sharing a section of rear fence, I can attest that he is one of the kindest men I have ever met. All of my children adored him and were best friends with his children and his wife, Mathel, who has been gone many years. He was a school teacher, a bishop, a love of nature and growing things. He was a war hero during World War II and was wounded in the Pacific. He also saved his entire unit when alone on guard duty and shot a figure in the darkness of night which turned out to be a suicide bomber loaded with explosives intent on destroying his unit. In his usual humor he said: "In the next life I will find him and apologize!" What a guy! He will be missed.

(Tribute written by Glenn Goodrich, decades' long friend of Ashton Smith)