George Smith

George Smith (aka "Daddy George") George Baydon Smith, 88, of Concord, NC died Tuesday, May 28th, 2013. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 29th at 2pm at Concord ARP Church on N. Union St with light refreshments and fellowship to follow. George was born March 15th, 1925 in Sheffield, England to the late George Taylor Smith and Edith Hebdige Smith. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Marian, and his grandson Stevie. He is survived by his Sister-in-law Mrs. Kathleen Greatorex Dick; his children, G. Steven (Linda) Smith of Round Rock, TX, and J. Baydon (Cassie) Smith of Concord, NC; 5 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. During WWII Mr. Smith twice tried to join the British Armed Forces but was turned away for being underage so he enrolled in an apprenticeship at the Steelworks doing work vital to the war effort. He completed his apprenticeship, married the late Marian Greatorex, also of Sheffield, and put himself through night school earning a degree from The Institute of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Sheffield. Convinced that he could achieve greater potential abroad he moved himself, his wife and two sons, to Canada and later to The United States. He achieved and exceeded his career goals, ultimately designing and helping supervise the construction of a state-of-the-art Steel Rolling Mill in Beaumont, TX. Equally dedicated to the success of his sons he helped establish one as the President of his own company and put his other son through College to receive a degree in Computer Science. In his retirement, his wife was diagnosed with Dementia. Determined that she would not be institutionalized he dedicated himself to her care, with home help and Hospice, until she passed away in 2008. After her passing he moved, with his pug, Duchess, to Concord and quickly established himself as Mr. George or Daddy George. He walked Duchess at least a mile twice a day and was known and loved by all the neighborhood children and adults. Daddy George sang with a Quartet called 4given and he loved Gospel songs and Old Hymns that he learned as a child when his grandmother would take him to the Salvation Army Prayer Meetings. A lifelong Christian, he was a regular attendee at Concord ARP church and even walked to services if the weather was good. He joined the Celebrate Recovery group for help through the grief of losing his wife but he soon ended up giving more support to others than he would take for himself. He was loved and revered by the entire group and had near perfect attendance for over 4 years. Having lost his mother at an early age he had a soft spot for orphaned children so, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to a local charity he supported called "Love The Little Ones", 48 Manor Ave, SW, Concord, NC 28025 Hartsell Funeral Home of Concord is serving the Smith family.