1924
Alfred
2008
Alfred Smith
October 23, 1924 — February 12, 2008
Alfred P. Smith, 83, a resident of Heartland Healthcare Center, Moline, died February 12, 2008 at Heartland Healthcare Center, Moline.
Funeral services will be 11a.m. Friday, February 15, 2008 at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd. 6601-38th Ave., Moline. Visitation will be Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal with military honors conducted by Moline American Legion Post #246. Memorials may be made to the Parkinson Foundation or American Red Cross.
Alfred was born October 23, 1924 in Richmond, MO to Vaughn B. and Martha E. Smith. He married Mildred Elaine Jerichow on December 24, 1947 in Hannibal, MO. She preceded him in death on February 28, 1998.
He is survived by
Son Rodney (Nancy) Smith Moline
Daughter Cynthia (Thomas) Brown Waterford, MI
5 grandchildren
Sister Martha (Charles) Clark Hannibal, MO
He was preceded in death by his wife; three sisters, Alice Withze, Velma Salisberry, and Edith Smith; and three brothers, Charles, Herbert, and Vernon.
Alfred was a man with big cars and bigger dreams, always the man with a plan. Part of America's "greatest generation" he proved living the American dream was within reach of everyone.
Alfred grew up in Hannibal, the sixth child out of eight. He had a good childhood surrounded by family, but he grew up poor, and the great depression fell in the middle of his childhood accentuating the family's struggle. Alfred was raised wearing hand-me-down shoes and his older brother's mended clothes. As a child he hunted rabbits and squirrels, for food more than sport, on the hillside of the family's Volke street home on Hannibal's Southside. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to go to work and help support the family.
Alfred met Mildred, his future wife, at age 15. The long courtship that followed was interrupted by WWII.
He served in the Army's 103rd and 45th Infantry Divisions in France, Germany, and Austria as a cannoneer and received two Bronze Service Stars for combat operations. Returning from the war in 1946, he married Mildred and moved to the Quad Cities in 1947.
From 1947 to 1967 he drove a Moline city bus route for the Tri- City Lines. In 1957 he purchased Vic's Lunch (later Al's Diner, currently the Caffe Piccalo) on 14th Street Moline. He operated the 10-stool Valentine diner from 1957 until 1987 serving hamburgers, tenderloins, and home-made hot tamales. In 1965 he purchased the Silver Saddle Grill in Rock Island and also operated it for a number of years. He expanded his business ventures by building the Wishy Washy car wash at Davenport's Third and Division Streets in 1966. In 1967 he purchased another Wishy Washy in East Moline's Watertown area. He also built and rented three duplexes.
In the early 70's he sold the car washes and started selling major appliances, first for Arlans in Moline and later for the Moline Sears. He retired from Sears in 1985.
Mildred, his wife, passed away in 1998 after struggling with Parkinson's. After her passing, Al's life was never the same.
Alfred was driven; he wanted a better life for his new family, better than the one he had growing up. He succeeded. He knew the value of education and the doors it could open that were closed to him and wanted that for his children. We got it. As a family, we never knew what it was like to be poor, so we didn't understand some things Al knew too well. We were lucky. Cindy and I grew up solid middle-class, full of confidence and optimism that we could achieve all of our own dreams. We were handed opportunity.
I'm sure Alfred did not realize all his dreams, and I know he made some mistakes along the way, but he was able to achieve most of his goals through very hard work and enterprise, and he achieved much more than what Cindy and I needed to continue living the American dream. For this we are grateful.
We will miss seeing the well-waxed Cadillac pull into the drive, we will miss Al's sense of humor that came out even in the hardest of times, we will miss hearing about the next real estate opportunity or his latest business idea. We will miss Alfred and his dreams.
Funeral services will be 11a.m. Friday, February 15, 2008 at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd. 6601-38th Ave., Moline. Visitation will be Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be in National Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal with military honors conducted by Moline American Legion Post #246. Memorials may be made to the Parkinson Foundation or American Red Cross.
Alfred was born October 23, 1924 in Richmond, MO to Vaughn B. and Martha E. Smith. He married Mildred Elaine Jerichow on December 24, 1947 in Hannibal, MO. She preceded him in death on February 28, 1998.
He is survived by
Son Rodney (Nancy) Smith Moline
Daughter Cynthia (Thomas) Brown Waterford, MI
5 grandchildren
Sister Martha (Charles) Clark Hannibal, MO
He was preceded in death by his wife; three sisters, Alice Withze, Velma Salisberry, and Edith Smith; and three brothers, Charles, Herbert, and Vernon.
Alfred was a man with big cars and bigger dreams, always the man with a plan. Part of America's "greatest generation" he proved living the American dream was within reach of everyone.
Alfred grew up in Hannibal, the sixth child out of eight. He had a good childhood surrounded by family, but he grew up poor, and the great depression fell in the middle of his childhood accentuating the family's struggle. Alfred was raised wearing hand-me-down shoes and his older brother's mended clothes. As a child he hunted rabbits and squirrels, for food more than sport, on the hillside of the family's Volke street home on Hannibal's Southside. He dropped out of school in the 8th grade to go to work and help support the family.
Alfred met Mildred, his future wife, at age 15. The long courtship that followed was interrupted by WWII.
He served in the Army's 103rd and 45th Infantry Divisions in France, Germany, and Austria as a cannoneer and received two Bronze Service Stars for combat operations. Returning from the war in 1946, he married Mildred and moved to the Quad Cities in 1947.
From 1947 to 1967 he drove a Moline city bus route for the Tri- City Lines. In 1957 he purchased Vic's Lunch (later Al's Diner, currently the Caffe Piccalo) on 14th Street Moline. He operated the 10-stool Valentine diner from 1957 until 1987 serving hamburgers, tenderloins, and home-made hot tamales. In 1965 he purchased the Silver Saddle Grill in Rock Island and also operated it for a number of years. He expanded his business ventures by building the Wishy Washy car wash at Davenport's Third and Division Streets in 1966. In 1967 he purchased another Wishy Washy in East Moline's Watertown area. He also built and rented three duplexes.
In the early 70's he sold the car washes and started selling major appliances, first for Arlans in Moline and later for the Moline Sears. He retired from Sears in 1985.
Mildred, his wife, passed away in 1998 after struggling with Parkinson's. After her passing, Al's life was never the same.
Alfred was driven; he wanted a better life for his new family, better than the one he had growing up. He succeeded. He knew the value of education and the doors it could open that were closed to him and wanted that for his children. We got it. As a family, we never knew what it was like to be poor, so we didn't understand some things Al knew too well. We were lucky. Cindy and I grew up solid middle-class, full of confidence and optimism that we could achieve all of our own dreams. We were handed opportunity.
I'm sure Alfred did not realize all his dreams, and I know he made some mistakes along the way, but he was able to achieve most of his goals through very hard work and enterprise, and he achieved much more than what Cindy and I needed to continue living the American dream. For this we are grateful.
We will miss seeing the well-waxed Cadillac pull into the drive, we will miss Al's sense of humor that came out even in the hardest of times, we will miss hearing about the next real estate opportunity or his latest business idea. We will miss Alfred and his dreams.
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