Richard Harrison Smith

Richard H. Smith, age 89, of Rochester, MN passed away May 13, 2021 at Seasons Hospice House in Rochester, MN. Richard was born July 4, 1931 in Susquehanna County, PA the son of Lloyd and Merle (Sheen) Smith. Richard attended high school in Springville, PA (Class of '49). He entered the United States Navy in January, 1951 and served until October, 1954 as an Aircraft Engineer/Mechanic. He attended Broome County Technical College, graduating in 1957 and started working at IBM that same year. He married Isabel Squier on June 11, 1957. They transferred from Endicott, NY to Rochester, MN in 1962. One of his many accomplishments was the development of the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Mail Sorter. Richard's career at IBM spanned over 35 years. Richard was a member of Bethel Lutheran Church. He enjoyed volleyball, golf, playing cards and bowling. He was inducted into USBC Bowling Hall of Fame in 2016. He also enjoyed helping people, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels for many years. Gardening may not have been his favorite thing, but helping Isabel maintain a beautiful garden was. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is survived by his son, Michael Smith (Debra) of Rochester, MN; 3 grandchildren, Jennifer (Kevin) Beier of Middleton, WI, Heather (Shane) Undeberg of Rochester, MN and Michael (Theresa) Schaefer of Rochester, MN; 9 great grandchildren. He is also survived by a brother, Carl (Geraldine) Smith of Friendsville, PA, a sister, Alice Dyer of Florence, AZ, and a sister-in-law, Louise Smith of Linthicum, MD and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Isabel, son Russell Smith, brother Kenneth Smith and sister, Eleanor Lewis. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW, Rochester, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. A luncheon will follow the service. The funeral service will be livestreamed on Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes Facebook page. Burial will take place in Springville, Pennsylvania. Memorials appreciated to Seasons Hospice or Bethel Lutheran Church. Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes is honored to be serving the Smith family; to share a special memory condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com