George Artemas Smith, 78, of Camden, Indiana, passed away Thursday, October 26, 2023, at 7:13am, at Franciscan Health East in Lafayette, Indiana after a brief illness. He was born on August 14, 1945, in Carroll County, Indiana, near Flora, to the late Reuben & Dorothy Ratliff Smith. He married Audrey M. Brown, in Clinton, MO, on November 30, 1985; she preceded him in death on May 21, 2018. George graduated from Delphi High School in 1963 and attended Purdue University in West Lafayette. Growing up on his parents’ dairy farm was his first job, helping with the animals, chores, and other duties that farm life always had. He then became a deck hand on the SS Jackson, an iron ore ship that traveled the great lakes. He then worked for several years for a barge cleaning business in Chicago before starting Petrochem, an environmental clean-up business, specializing in waterways, with his older brother Joe. He then moved to Southern Illinois and worked for Terracon, another environmental cleanup business specializing in petroleum contamination cleanup. George oversaw and maintained the many pumps used in the process, that piped contaminates to a furnace for disposal. He retired from Terracon in 2022 and has lived in Camden for the past two years.

George was baptized and raised in the Hickory Grove Church. He was an avid reader and loved books on engineering and history. He liked to tinker with anything mechanical and could fix anything he laid his hands on. His job required him to be outdoors a lot, which he enjoyed, and enjoyed being on the many waterways he encountered across the U.S., admiring the beauty and ecology of them when they were clean and untouched. He loved and looked forward to his annual fishing trip to Minnesota with his brother Joe. George dearly loved his siblings and many nieces and nephews. He and Audrey enjoyed the many adventures they would take them on throughout their lives. George was a gentle soul. Easy going, quiet, always listening, and always had that sheepish grin on his face. He dearly loved his family and enjoyed being with them for any occasion.

George was preceded in death in 2002 by his brother Joseph James. He is survived by two brothers and three sisters: John Leslie Smith (Lucy) of Delphi, Indiana; Nancy Jane Johnson (Dennis) of Idaho Springs, Colorado; Rebecca June Selvidge (William) of Overland Park, Kansas; Jacob Eugene Smith (Joyce) of Lafayette, Indiana; and Maryanna Marie Selvidge (Edwin) of Camden. Nieces and nephews: Donna Smith Rider of Delphi, Indiana; John Smith Jr. of Delphi, Indiana; Robert Smith of Wilmett, Illinois; Joe Smith of Dallas, Texas; Reagan Smith of Dallas, Texas; Nicolena Johnson Mitchell of Arvada, Colorado; Stephanie Johnson of Anchorage, Alaska; Jeremy Selvidge of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Jennifer Selvidge Turnquist of Carthage, North Carolina; Adam Smith of Dubuque, Iowa; Bethany Smith Wines of Lafayette, Indiana; and Courtney Smith Umlauf of Lafayette, Indiana; sister-in-law Debi Moore of Midland, Texas.

Services: Visitation will be Friday from 11am until his funeral service at 1pm at Abbott Funeral Home, Inc., Delphi. Rev. Jeremy W. Selvidge, Rev. William Selvidge and Rev. Edwin Selvidge officiating. Burial will be at Hickory Grove Cemetery, rural Carroll County. Memorial contributions may be given to the Hickory Grove Cemetery Association. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.