Wendell Smith

Wendell T. Smith, 93, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, died Friday, March 24, 2017, at Henry County Health Center. Mr. Smith donated his body to the University of Iowa Carver Medical Center Deeded Body Program. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Friday, March 31, 2017, at First United Methodist Church, with Rev. Deborah Stowers officiating. Military Rites, by the Henry County Honor Guard, will be accorded following the service. Gifts of love and friendship may be given to Shriner's Children's Hospital. On-line condolences may be directed to www.olsonpowell.com. Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel of Mt. Pleasant is assisting the family with arrangements. Born October 26, 1923, in Mt. Pleasant, Wendell Taft was the son of Clarence E. and Mary Ethel Taft Smith. He was a 1942 graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School. Following high school Wendell was drafted in to the United States Army Infantry. A member of the 37th Division, he served in the Solomon Islands, the Battle of Bougainville, the Invasion of Luzon in the Philippines, and the liberation of Manilla. He was wounded in action in the Battle of Mount Packwagon, near Manilla, in April of 1945, from which he received a Purple Heart. On July 17, 1945, he married Margaret Louise Pease in Okmulgee County, OK. She preceded him in death on May 20, 2014.For eight years Wendell served as Henry County Treasurer before becoming the Mt. Pleasant Postmaster, a position he held for 27 years before retiring in 1981. He was an avid golfer. He liked to hunt and fish, along with searching for mushrooms in the spring. Wendell was a member of First United Methodist Church, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign War Post #2561, and the American Legion Post #58. A fifty-year plus member of the Mt. Pleasant Masonic Lodge #8 A.F. and A. M., he was also a member of York Rite Masons, and the Kaaba Shrine of Davenport. Wendell belonged to the American Association of Retired Persons, National Association of Postmasters of the United States, and the National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Those sharing Wendell's life include a son, Bruce (Mary Ann) Smith of Mt. Pleasant, IA; two sisters, Louise Trueblood of Mt. Pleasant, IA, and Beverly (Allen) Griggs of Washington, IA; six grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Along with his wife, Wendell was preceded in death by a daughter, Mardell Ybarra; four brothers, Edward Smith, Carroll Smith, Walter Smith, and Paul Smith; and two sisters, Kathryn Hannum, and Emma Jane Hedges. Memorial Service MAR 31. 10:30 AM First United Methodist Church 309 North Main Street Mount Pleasant, IA, US, 52641 http://firstmethodistonline.org