Leo William Smith

Leo William Smith 

1/30/1945 – 1/31/2024

Patriarch, loving husband, father, son, brother, Papaw, Paps, Pappy, great-grandpa, principal engineer, and BADASS OLD MAN. 

Leo was born to Lawrence & Alma Smith in the small river town of Mt. Carmel, IL, population 7000. Growing up there his father taught him to hunt fish, farm, and many other life skills. Leo then passed these skills on to his children and grandchildren and many others who were lucky enough to learn from him. 

Leo fell in love with his high school sweetheart Margie Miller in 1964. 

He began attending the University of Illinois to earn his electrical engineering degree while Margie was still in high school in Mt. Carmel. In 1966, Leo married the love of his life, the woman he would spend the rest of his live with, Margie. Leo then graduated college in 1967. They then moved to Missouri where he got hired at Conductron. His dedication to his career continues for 48 years. Changing to McDonnell Douglas Aerospace then finally retiring from Boeing in 2014. 

However, Leo’s most important favorite accomplishments were his family. Leo and Margie welcomed their first child Troy Allen in 1967. Followed by Carleen Marie in 1971 and Christina Diane in 1980. Leo and Margie’s children multiplied! There are 19 grandkids and 8 great-grandkids and more to come. Leo was known for teaching multiple generations of his family and neighborhood kids to ride their first bicycle. He was commonly seen walking to Fleet Park with a crew of kids too big to count. Somehow, he managed to give 4 underdoggies on the swings, bounce the teeter totter and watch them on the bike trails all at once. Even in a wheelchair he would still enjoy being walked to that same park to watch his great grandkids and neighborhood kids enjoying it.  

Leo and Margie enjoyed traveling together but their favorite trips were their yearly adventure with family and friends to Kentucky Lake. 

While here, Leo would work endlessly blowing up rafts, fixing bike tires, cooking, icing coolers so his family could live luxuriously in the woods. Breaking only to have Margie slather him with sunscreen. 

Leo was a wonderful patient loving man and will be missed. 

A day of memory will be held at the Smith house 3415 Highgate, St. Charles 63301

Sunday February 11, 2024, at 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. 

Please come by to share memories with us. A special moment of prayer will be held at 12:00 pm.    

Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.