Edward Stanley Smith was born on August 29, 1933, in Shouyang, (northern) China, to missionaries
Frances Jane Sheller and William Harlan Smith. Ed died peacefully in his sleep Saturday morning, March
12, 2022, at the Timbercrest Senior Living Community, North Manchester, IN, next to the love of his life
and partner of 68 years, Jean Weaver Smith. He enjoyed a great life, full of family, friends, and
wonderful adventures!
Ed and Jean met as freshmen at Manchester College and were married on Memorial Day, 1953, at the
Manchester Church of the Brethren. They have three children, Melea Smith, Michelle Brown and Bret
Smith; nine grandchildren (Andrew, Aaron and Sarah Ross; Collin Brown; Dawn, Cassie, Bret Jr., Michelle
and Patrick Smith); and 26 great-grandchildren.
He was the sixth of eight children. Siblings include Pauline (Ralph) Delk, Helen (Roy) Hiteshew, Dorothy
(Jim) Mason, Dwight, Lloyd–all deceased, as well as Shirley (Jim) Mishler and Maureen Weaver. Ed
graduated in 1951 from Flora High School in Indiana. He received his BA in history from Manchester
College in 1955 and went on to Bethany Seminary in Chicago, graduating in 1958.
Ed had a brilliant mind, was a talented teacher/orator, loved golf and gardening, and was a true
creative. His moral compass was without question. He had the ability to inspire others. His influence will
continue through the lives of his children and their children. He is fondly remembered by many
congregants as well, having served pastorates for a combined 35 years at the Decatur (IL) Church of the
Brethren; Eastwood (Akron, OH); Plymouth, (IN); Elkhart City Church (IN) and South Bend Prince of
Peace Church of the Brethren, just down the street from his beloved Notre Dame (IN). Go Irish!
After returning from China at the age of 7, Ed grew up in the Midwest and considered himself a Hoosier
(Indiana). Following retirement in Northern Indiana, Ed and Jean had the chance to visit China, taking in
a variety of ancient sites and returning to the city of his birth. They also traveled to Ireland, Mexico and
Hawaii, as well as completing their tour of U.S. states with a ferry trip along the Inside Passage from
Seattle to Juneau. Additional destinations included Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. These trips allowed him to
explore his great interest in photography, amassing hundreds of slides taken on his travels around the
world. He created a dynamic China slideshow, which he presented to high school World History students
and various other interested church and civic groups.
Ed and Jean lived in Naperville, IL, (where their daughter, Melea, resides) from 2011 to 2019 and were
members of the Downer Grove Friends Meeting (Quakers).
Folks who knew him were aware and often benefited from his other talent as a self-taught woodworker.
Ed offered repair work to friends, created birdhouses for neighbors, and built toy boxes and other gifts
for his children and grandchildren. Some of the furniture he created takes a place of pride in their
Timbercrest apartment and in his children’s homes. Ed Smith was the kind of guy you wanted to live
next to, as he was a fixer and problem solver.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ed’s name to: Timbercrest Senior Living, North Manchester
(IN); Heart-to-Heart Hospice of Ft. Wayne (IN); or the Parkinson’s Foundation. A Celebration of Life will
be held later this Spring.