Gary Lee Smith

Gary Lee Smith of Savage, Minnesota passed away peacefully and went to be with the Lord on November 25, 2025. He was born in Kokomo, Indiana on August 17, 1936 to Merritt and Pauline (Rodenbeck) Smith. Gary grew up in Clinton, Indiana and graduated from Clinton High School. He attended college at Purdue University and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1958 and became a lifelong fanatic of Purdue basketball. His first job after graduation was working for McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri. In October of 1959, Gary met Freya through a co-worker. They met at Freya's church during a revival. They began dating and the relationship grew into an engagement at Christmas. They got married May 16, 1959 at the same church they met. After a few months of marriage, Gary got transferred to Lancaster, California for a year. He worked at Edward's Air Force Base working on F-4 airplanes and a NASA space capsule for McDonnell-Douglas. While in California, their first child, Bobbie, was born. When the year was completed, they moved back to St. Louis. Three years later, their second child, Judy, was born. Gary enrolled at St. Louis University and obtained his master's degree in Business Administration. Two years later, Gary moved the family to Minnesota where he worked for Control Data. Gary continued to be successful in business administration for several years and a member of the Christian Business Men's Committee (CBMC) where he wrote an article sharing his faith. In 1969, their third child was born. Gary continued to work for Control Data and also started a business of his own. In 1975, the fourth child, Matt, was born. Several years later, Gary took a job in Virginia, so the family moved there. Sometime later, the family moved back to Minnesota where Gary worked for Northwest Aerospace Training Corporation (NATCO) a division of Northwest Airlines. When the airline was sold, Gary took a job with Jostens. A few years later, Gary retired. He wrote and published a book called "Basketball: King of Indiana" and he became actively involved with Gideon's International. In his local camp, he spoke in many churches and handed out thousands of Bibles. He stayed in this organization for the rest of his life. Gary's legacy lives on through his children; 10 grandchildren, Brittany Shelton (Dr. Tom Adams), Daniel (Dr. Jen) Siebenberg, Benjamin Shelton (Dr. Briann Sutton), David Siebenberg, Bradley Shelton, Maxwell Smith, Sara Siebenberg, Megan Smith, and Spencer Smith; great grandchild, Rosie; brother, Robert (Beverly) Smith; nephews, Eric (Debbie) Smith and Gabe. Gary and Freya have been married for 66 years. Gary's faith and dedication to his family remained his priority throughout his entire life. His life is a precious gift from God to all who knew him. A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 5 at 11AM with a visitation at 10AM located at Hillside Church of Bloomington, 4300 W 98th St, Bloomington, MN 55437. Burial will follow at Grandview Park Cemetery of Hopkins. Donations are preferred to the Gideons International (Metro Southwest Camp) - https://gideons.org/donate

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Gary Lee Smith

August 17, 1936 - November 25, 2025

Tributes

Gary Lee Smith

August 17, 1936 - November 25, 2025

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