John Smit

George, IA    John Smit, age 83 of George, IA died Thursday November 3, 2016 at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD.       Funeral service will be 2:00 PM Monday, Nov. 7th, 2016 at Tabernacle Baptist Church in George, IA with Pastors Bryan Anderson and Oryn Meinerts officiating.       Burial will follow at Evergreen Lawn Cemetery in George, IA.       Visitation will be Sunday Nov. 6th from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, with the family present from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Jurrens Funeral Home in George.       John Smit was born on July 28, 1933 in LeMars, IA, the son of Dick and Bertha (DeJong) Smit.  John grew up in the Rock Valley and Doon, IA area and attended country school there.  On December 11, 1953, he was united in marriage to Loretta Johnson in George, IA.  To this union seven children were born: Cheryl, LeRon, Kathy, Mary Jo, Jerry, David and Angela.  John and Loretta lived various places throughout their married life in Iowa and Minnesota.  John worked as a salesman, for a time drove truck and before retiring he drove bus for the Reading Bus Lines.  He was a member of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in George, IA, where he was very active as an usher and he and Loretta served as custodians for several years.  One of John’s duties as an usher was to count the people in church and he referred to himself as the “Head Counter”.  His hobbies included working on puzzles, playing solitaire on the computer, cards with friends and visiting.  John will be greatly missed.      John is survived by his wife of almost sixty-three years, Loretta Smit of Sioux Center, IA; seven children:  Cheryl (Randall) Thomas of Paso Robles, CA, LeRon (Jeanette) Smit of Sherman, SD, Kathy Smit of Corona, CA, Mary Jo (Bob) Rosin of Rochester, MN, Jerry (Jennifer) Smit of George, IA, David (Cheryl) Smit of Queen Creek, AZ and Angela Mayer (Adam Chandler) of St. Bonifacius, MN; sixteen grandchildren and twenty-six great-grandchildren; two brothers, Casey Smit of Sheldon, IA and Pete Smit of George, IA; one sister-in-law, Arlis Klingenberg of George, IA; and many nieces, nephews and other extended family.      He was preceded in death by his parents, Dick and Bertha Smit; sister, Nellie Kuiper; brother, Tom Smit.       In lieu of flowers family prefers memorials.