Obituary for John A. Smith
John “Pecker” Smith, 88, of East Peoria, IL passed away at home on Sunday, March 3rd 2019, surrounded by a loving family.
John was born November 10th, 1930 to Adolphus and Grace Smith. He was one of 13 children. He was a lifelong resident of the Peoria area community. In his early years, John honorably served in the Army. He went into business for himself in 1967 as a contractor. He did renovation work for the Peoria Housing Authority and later joined the Local Carpenters Union 183. During his time with the Carpenter’s Union he served as their Vice President and retired from the Union in 1992. Once retiring he lived in Florida for 5 years, until moving home to be with his daughters. Once they were grown, he continued to seek adventure and found his way to Oakland, Arkansas where he spent the last 10 years of his life.
He was an active member of the Peoria community and was most proud of serving as St. Patrick in the annual parade in Peoria. He also enjoyed playing Santa Claus each Christmas at the Union Hall. Peck enjoyed fishing, traveling, sharing stories, and an occasional cold Busch. His stories could carry on for hours, never losing the attention of his audience. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. Each one of them will carry on their own unique piece of him.
Peck is survived by 5 children. Meagan (Fred) Stoneburner of East Peoria, IL. Crystal Smith of Peoria. Sean Smith of Peoria. Shane (Heather) Smith of Washington. Hallie (Martin) Jolly of Washington DC. He had 9 grandchildren – Jazmin, Ethan, Jacob, Payton, McKinley, Jordan, Ashley, Jackson, and Josephynne. Peck is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins, and accomplices.
Peck enjoyed bringing smiles to others through laughter and kind gestures. In lieu of flowers, the family asks his friends to buy the bar a round and share a story the next time you are out.
Cremation rites have been accorded and a celebration of life will be held on April 27th at 4 PM at Schooner’s in Peoria Heights. His children look forward to hearing the memories that each of you have to share.
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John was born November 10th, 1930 to Adolphus and Grace Smith. He was one of 13 children. He was a lifelong resident of the Peoria area community. In his early years, John honorably served in the Army. He went into business for himself in 1967 as a contractor. He did renovation work for the Peoria Housing Authority and later joined the Local Carpenters Union 183. During his time with the Carpenter’s Union he served as their Vice President and retired from the Union in 1992. Once retiring he lived in Florida for 5 years, until moving home to be with his daughters. Once they were grown, he continued to seek adventure and found his way to Oakland, Arkansas where he spent the last 10 years of his life.
He was an active member of the Peoria community and was most proud of serving as St. Patrick in the annual parade in Peoria. He also enjoyed playing Santa Claus each Christmas at the Union Hall. Peck enjoyed fishing, traveling, sharing stories, and an occasional cold Busch. His stories could carry on for hours, never losing the attention of his audience. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren. Each one of them will carry on their own unique piece of him.
Peck is survived by 5 children. Meagan (Fred) Stoneburner of East Peoria, IL. Crystal Smith of Peoria. Sean Smith of Peoria. Shane (Heather) Smith of Washington. Hallie (Martin) Jolly of Washington DC. He had 9 grandchildren – Jazmin, Ethan, Jacob, Payton, McKinley, Jordan, Ashley, Jackson, and Josephynne. Peck is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins, and accomplices.
Peck enjoyed bringing smiles to others through laughter and kind gestures. In lieu of flowers, the family asks his friends to buy the bar a round and share a story the next time you are out.
Cremation rites have been accorded and a celebration of life will be held on April 27th at 4 PM at Schooner’s in Peoria Heights. His children look forward to hearing the memories that each of you have to share.
To plant a tree in memory of John A. Smith, visit the Tribute Store.
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