David M. Smith, 72

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David Merle Smith, 72, of Nokomis, died on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

No services will be held. Stiehl-Dawson Funeral Home in Nokomis is assisting the family.

Mr. Smith was born May 14, 1948, at Pana Hospital, to Guy Merle and Dorothy Lucille (Griswold) Smith. He married Teresa E. Hughes on May 23, 1970, and she survives.

He was raised on the family farm in Nokomis, where he has been a lifelong resident, with the exception of his time in the U.S. Army, from 1968 to 1970. After he returned home, he worked at Allis Chalmers for two years, then began farming on his own.

Over the years, Mr. Smith was also a truck driver and at home, a jack of all trades. He retired from farming in 2010, but continued to truck drive part-time for the next ten years.

He and his wife raised two children and just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. As a family, they spent many happy years together in the High School Rodeo.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Smith is survived by his two children, Jacob Merle (Michelle Lilly) Smith and Mary Belle Smith; grandson, Briar Thomas (Megan) Smith; great-grandchildren, Mackenzie Sue Smith and Wade Merle Smith; sister, Ruth Ann (Robert) Lacey; and sister-in-law, Claudia Diane King Smith.

He was preceded in death by his parents; grandparents, George Thomas and Mary Belle Emmerson Smith and Halic and Alta Griswold; and his brother, Joseph Paul Smith.

Memorials may be directed to the Montgomery County Cancer Association.  Online condolences to the family may be left at www.stiehldawsonfh.com.