“And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way.”
Song by Frank Sinatra
Grady Lynn Smith, 68, of Mason City, Iowa, passed away August 19, 2024 at Good Shepherd Health Center in Mason City.
Grady was born February 24, 1956, in Mason City; son of Forest Dale and Barbara Ellen (Meyer) Smith. The last-born boy of four in the family, his older brothers were Lonnie Dale Smith, Lex Jon Smith and Danniel Lee Smith. The last-born Smith kid was his little sister, Cheryl Ann Smith.
Even with 3 older brothers, Grady found ways to be a unique kid in a large family. Lonnie, Dan and Lex went into military service out of high school, and then pursued college educations, while Grady attended North Idaho Community College post high school, before spending countless hours the rest of his life reading and studying on his own, becoming a very knowledgeable, self-educated man. A renaissance man if you will.
A born etymologist and student of nature, when growing up he could often be found in the back yard of the family home studying ants, moths wasps and bees. He could even be seen from time to time with his bees and wasps walking about on his hands, never stinging him while he was watching their every move and observing their habits.
Grady would often collect small fish and other critters from nearby Willow Creek and keep them in one of the specially prepared aquariums you might often find in his home. After he was finished with his observations, he would return his pets to the creek where he found them. And who can forget his beloved pet turtle Bodine. Bodine was a funny, clever little fellow from Willow Creek that provided Grady with endless amounts of entertainment. However, after a period of time, Grady returned his beloved Bodine to his former natural habitat in Willow Creek to be a normal turtle once more, well, to at least be as normal as quirky little Bodine could ever be; he loved that little guy.
A great athlete, Grady excelled at many sports, and especially basketball. That boy could play, and he was notably the only one in the family who could dunk a basketball.
Grady was an excellent cook, best known for his amazing pork tenderloin sandwiches, pot roasts, incredible home-made soups, especially his Wisconsin cheese soup, and his time after time, multi-award-winning killer chili. Grady was also the former A+W Root Beer King of Mason City.
Those left to honor Grady’s memory are his brothers, Lex Smith of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and Danny Smith of Surprise, Arizona; and his longtime best friend, and brother from another mother, Scott Olson in Mason City. Grady could not have had a better friend than Scotty.
Additional survivors include Lonnie’s wife Norma, and their children and grandchildren. Lonnie and Norma’s posse are listed below:
Nephew: Kevin Smith; Kevin’s wife Veronica, their children; Arla and Ariana. They live in Las Vegas, Nevada
Nieces:
Elena Collins, and her children; Andrew, Amber & Josie. They live in Ashland, Kentucky
Gina Talamantez, Husband Juan, children; Ariel, Austin & Tommy. They live in
Yorktown, VA
Cristina Garcia, her husband Josh Shaikh and their children; David, A.J & Jordan. They live in Yorktown, Virginia.
Great Nephews:
Ace Jackson
another one coming soon in November
Great nieces:
Aurora Darragh
Kya Collins
Preceding Grady in death are his parents, Forest and Barbara; his oldest brother Lonnie, his younger sister Cheryl, and his grandmother Smith Aileen.
Before Grady left us, he made it clear that he didn’t want his family and friends mourning him. Rather, he wanted everyone to have a party to celebrate his life, To that end,
Grady’s celebration of life party will be held at Burke’s Bar and Grill, 1221 N. Federal, Mason City, Iowa (641-423-9610), at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, September 28, 2024.
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