Earl John Smith, of Mendota, Illinois, passed away on September 22, 2024, just shy of his 88th birthday.  Born in West Brooklyn, IL, on October 19, 1936 the son of Earl and Florence (Zinke) Smith, both of whom preceded him in death.

Earl is survived by one son: Christopher (Kimberly Brown) Smith of LaSalle, IL; three daughters: Melissa (Bryan) Sanford of Earlville, IL, Denise M. Hake or Paw Paw and Debbie (Chris Herman) Kaiser of Peru, IL; eight grandchildren: Ashley (Eric) Pawlowski, Brandon Smith, Elizabeth Smith, Meagan (Brett) Woolard, Mitchell Hake, Kayla Kaiser, Cortney Kaiser, Carson Herman; six great-grand children: Camden, Brooks, Everly, Brody, Miles and Kennedy.

A visitation will be held on Monday, September 30, 2024, at 10:00-11:00 am at the Horner-Merritt Funeral Home, located at 800 Monroe Street, Mendota, Illinois.  Graveside service with military honors will be held at the Wyoming Cemetery in Paw Paw, IL after the visitation. Visit www.horner-merritt.com for online guestbook.