Elmer L. Smith, age 93 of Herkimer, passed away on Sunday afternoon May 15, 2016 at Ohio Valley Hospital (Pittsburgh, PA) after a short illness. He had the comfort and support of his loving family by his side. Son of the late Peter E. and Reba Mickle Smith, he was born on July 8, 1922 in Herkimer, New York. A lifelong Herkimer resident, he was a graduate of Herkimer High School. Upon completing High School, he enlisted in the US Army on October 9, 1939 with Company I 10th Infantry in Mohawk. On October 15, 1940 he was inducted into Federal Service and was stationed at Fort McClellan, AL. He worked his way up the enlisted ranks to First Sergeant at the age of 20. During World War II he served in the Pacific Theatre for fifteen months from January 1943 through April of 1944. He served as Cadre First Sergeant at Camp Robinson, AK until he was discharged on October 24, 1945. Elmer reenlisted in the New York Army National Guard in February 1947 as a First Sergeant with the 727th Ordinance Company in Mohawk. He was appointed a Warrant Officer on June 30, 1948 as the Adjutant of the 727th Ordinance Company. Elmer served as an Armament Repair Technician with Armor Ordinance units and rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer (CW-4). His service included assignments with the 27th Armored Division, 50th Armored Division (New Jersey Army National Guard) and was a member of Company D 42nd Maintenance Battalion of the 42nd Infantry Division. During his forty-one plus years of military service he served the Governor of New York three times, at the Corning-Elmira Flood of 1972, during the Prison Guard strike in 1979 and at Lake Placid for the Winter Olympics of 1980. Chief Smith served seventeen tours with the Empire State Military Academy. Elmer was a true example of the Greatest Generation, and his service to his country will be long remembered by his many friends and family. Mr. Smith was especially proud of the fact that his late father, Peter E. Smith, served for thirty years in the military and his son, David, served with the United States Army Special Forces in Vietnam, making the Smith family truly a traditional military family. On October 7, 1944 Elmer was united in marriage to Irene Ford of Omaha, NE in Colorado Springs, CO. They made their home in Herkimer where Elmer worked as a self-employed carpenter, a State Employee, and a citizen soldier. Elmer and Irene shared a loving and devoted union of sixty-two years until her passing on October 19, 2006. Elmer had a strong faith in God and was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Herkimer. He was known for his exceptional sense of community and for many years he served on the Oak Hill Cemetery Board of Directors. He was also a Gold Card member of Michael Plieseck Veterans of Foreign Wars Post # 4915 Herkimer, a former member of Herkimer Lodge # 423 Free & Accepted Masons, and was the recipient of the VFW Citizen of the Year Award in 1998. Elmer was one of the founders of the Thanksgiving Community Dinner in Herkimer which continues today. Surviving are one son, David Smith, and his wife Carole of McKees Rocks, PA, two granddaughters Erin (Jacob) Sullivan and Holly Smith, a niece Marion Horton, and great-granddaughter Sydney Brooke. Aside from his parents and wife Irene, he was preceded in death by a sister Rosemary OBryan of Vero Beach, Florida. Funeral service for Mr. Smith will be on Friday, May 20, at 1:00 PM in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church with the Reverend Ann Zimmerman, Pastor officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in Oak Hill Cemetery. There are no calling hours. Expressions of sympathy may be made with memorial donations to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (http://www.lls.org/). Funeral arrangements are with Fenner Funeral Home, Inc., Herkimer, NY. Funeral Service Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Friday, May 20, 2016 01:00 PM 433 Henry Street Herkimer, NY 13350