Morley Smithson was born in the old Yorkton Hospital on May 3, 1937, to Richard and Mildred (nee Olm) Smithson. He was the youngest of six surviving children and was predeceased by his parents; an infant sister, Margreite; his sisters, Ruby and Joyce and his brother, Jack. He is survived by his loving wife, Jane; his daughter, Heidi; his son, Kaley; his sister, Bernice; his brother, Ken and many nieces, nephews and in-laws. Raised in and around the town of Ebenezer, SK, he attended Ebenezer School and later, Yorkton Collegiate High School. As a young man, he had many adventures hitch hiking to BC, working up north in the lumber camps, building highways across the province on road construction, and taking on many different odd jobs around Western Canada. He married Jane Tolchard in 1970, after which, he spent 28 years working at Morris Industries, retiring from there in 2000. Morley was known by different names to different people. He was named Irving Morley at birth but was called Morley by his family. However, many, many people knew him as Smitty or sometimes Smitz, and he was Mr. Smitty to his children's friends. Smitty was a jokester who loved nothing better than a good laugh. He loved hearing a new joke, and he particularly enjoyed inventing and pulling off practical jokes on his friends and family. His eyes sparkling, he would chuckle and giggle with great hilarity and was known for his saucy wit. He was also a do-it-yourself fix-it guy, forever working on a project. He was an inventor who had an absolute knack for turning junk into treasure, be it transforming an old wagon wheel into a rotating stone barbeque, salvaging old, warped hardwood for a beautiful hardwood floor, or transforming an old motor into a giant rotisserie for cooking a wild boar. Smitty was the kind of person who could make friends with anyone. He had buddies of every age, be they old timers or little kids, and he was a very good friend to have. He was someone everyone could count on to drop everything and pitch in to help. He loved spending time with all his friends, enjoying a good beer, parties, summer barbeques, camping trips, and most especially, driving around the countryside with his buddies looking at the crops, checking out the neighbourhood, and dropping in on friends and neighbours for a visit, which he called, "touring". Smitty will be remembered for his generosity, kindness, open heart, and mostly his love of fun. He will be deeply missed. A Celebration of Morley's life was held on Monday, December 30, 2013 from the Chapel of Christie's Funeral Home with Kathy Novak serving as the Funeral Celebrant. Words of tribute and eulogy were shared by Morley's nephew, Jeff Smithson. Nieces, Gayle Wensley (pianist) and Susan Paley (vocals) led the congregation in the singing of the hymns, "How Great Thou Art" and "Beyond The Sunset" also shared a duet, "In the Sweet By and By". The Cremation Committal followed in the Yorkton Memorial Gardens, Yorkton, SK. with nephew, Sheldon Skitcko serving as the urn bearer. Friends so wishing may forward their condolences to the family by visiting www.christiesfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Christie's Funeral Home & Crematorium, Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
