A Mass of Christian Burial for George Moe Smith, age 95, of Enid, will be at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, December 9, 2008, at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, with Rev. Larry Kowalski officiating.  Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, with arrangements by Anderson-Burris Funeral Home.

     He was born to Edward B (“EB”) and Gertrude (Goldstein) Smith on September 28, 1913, in Cripple Creek, Colorado, and died Sunday, November 30, 2008, at The Commons in Enid.

     George’s family moved from Colorado to Oklahoma in 1918 when his father was employed by Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OG&E).  The family lived briefly in Muskogee and Oklahoma City before settling in Sapulpa.  It was there that George began his life-long love of golf and of tinkering with cars.  He graduated from Sapulpa High School in 1931, then attended the University of Oklahoma’s School of Business Administration, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1935.  He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.

     In 1935 George moved to Minneapolis, MN and began a 40-year career as an accountant and later a manager for Northern States Power Company (now Excel Energy).  George married Frances Ada Dickinson on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1937, in Minneapolis.  The young couple immediately moved to Galena, IL, returning to Minneapolis in 1941.  George’s hobbies in Minneapolis were golf, fishing (including ice fishing), and playing bridge, and he spent a lot of time on do-it-yourself projects around the house.

     His visits to Enid began in 1941 when his father joined the OG&E Enid District.  George relished the chance to play golf with his father, although for George, the Enid winds were quite a challenge.  When George retired from NSP in 1975 and was hoping to play golf nearly year-round, he and Frances moved to Enid.   In addition to golfing at Meadowlake, George enjoyed cooking and baking, playing Free Cell on his computer, watching reruns of M*A*S*H, walking his dog, and finding ways to be a good neighbor.  He was a member of St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, and in his early years in Enid regularly volunteered for church painting and construction projects and even for the occasional banner-sewing or cookie-baking project.

     He is survived by daughter, Sally Anne Smith, of McLean, Virginia; son Edward Bruce Smith of Enid; and one grandchild, Margaret “Peggy” Pelletier and her husband, David Pelletier of Hutchinson, MN.

     George was preceded in death by his parents and by his wife Frances, who died in Enid in 1994.

     Memorials may be made through the funeral home to St. Gregory’s “Good Samaritan Fund,” or directly to the donor’s own favorite charity.  Condolences may be made online at www.andersonburris.com.