Obituary of Frank Smith

Frank left us on September 12, 2024, to be reunited in Heaven with his wife, LaVerne. A funeral liturgy will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at St. Anne’s Cathedral. Burial will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery. Frank J. Smith III was the oldest son of Dorothy (Riley) and Frank Smith Jr. He has two siblings, a younger brother and sister. After completing school, Frank joined the US Army in 1962. He was stationed at Fort Leavenworth with the First Guard Company. He earned the title “Post Wide Soldier of the Month” February of 1964. He met and married Laverne Skelton on August 11, 1962, in Chicago, Illinois. They were together a total of 61 years before her passing on September 23, 2023. They had three children, Jeffrey, Cheryl, and Tina. Frank went into banking after he served in the Army working his way through the ranks to become Senior Vice President in charge of the lending division. He retired in 1991. In his later years before he retired, he found a love for canoeing to include travelling down whitewater rapids. The summer of 1997, he and his son flew into Great Falls for a whitewater adventure. They camped and enjoyed traversing the scenic Missouri River of the wild for 150 miles lasting a week. His love for Montana and Great Falls made him decide to make Great Falls his home in 2002. He is survived by his daughter, Cheryl “Sherry” and her husband, Samuel Phistry of Johnsburg, IL; grandchildren, Stephanie, Angela, and Phillip Phistry, Samantha Graszer, Lukas Smith, and Paul Rapacz; great-grandchildren, Leila, Owen, and Annalise Rapacz; brother, Robert Smith; and sister, Marlene Teramani. He was preceded in death by his wife, LaVerne; his parents; son, Jeffrey Smith; and daughter, Tina Rapacz. Condolences for the family may be shared online at www.OConnorFuneralHome.com.