Ray Smith, 82, formerly of Mitchell, South Dakota died on Monday, July 12, 2004 at the Veterans Home, Luverne, Minnesota. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM Friday at the Harvest Community Church of the Nazarene in Mitchell. Visitation will be Thursday, from 5-8 PM at the Will Funeral Chapel. Burial will be in the Servicemens Memorial Cemetery in Mitchell. He was born January 7, 1922, at Kimball, South Dakota to John and Ella Smith. He received his education in Brule County School at Kimball. In 1942, he moved to Jackson County, Minnesota. There, he met and married Thelma Kruger on Sept. 26, 1942. He was drafted into the service. In 1943, he entered the Signal Corps and served 3 years in Africa, Italy, and Germany. He was honorably discharged and he returned to Minnesota. Ten years later, he moved his family to Hanson County, South Dakota, where he farmed for fifty years. He retired and moved to Mitchell in 1994. He moved to Luverne Veterans Home in 2000. He was a member of First Church of the Nazarene at Mitchell. He is survived by his wife, Thelma, one son, Melvin and his wife, Vernetta, of Fremont, Nebraska; one brother, Robert, Chicago, Illinois and one sister, Dorothy Sherbon, of Spearfish, South Dakota. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Arthur and John Jr. and two sisters, Mildred and Margie. Memorials can be directed to the Harvest Community Church of the Nazarene in Mitchell.