Richard K. Smith Sr.

Richard K. Smith Sr., age 83, of Savanna, Illinois, died Thursday, August 29, 2013 at The Alverno in Clinton, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, September 5, 2013 at Law-Jones Funeral Home in Savanna. A private burial will be held in Savanna Township Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at Law-Jones Funeral Home. Memorials may be given to the Savanna Rotary in Richard’s memory.
Richard was born October 27, 1929, in Rockford, Illinois the son of Harold Anderson and Alyce L. (Johnston) Anderson. Harold passed away and Alyce later married Lawrence Smith Sr. who adopted Richard. Richard attended and graduated from Savanna High School, and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana in 1956. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with his Law Degree. Richard began practicing law with his father, Lawrence Sr. and his brother, Lawrence Jr. in Savanna in the mid 1960’s. He later cofounded Smith Law Office in Savanna in 1975 and practiced law in northwest Illinois until his retirement in 2011. During his career, he was the village and town attorney for many years for several towns in the area including Elizabeth, Savanna, and Shannon for many years.
Richard belonged to and enjoyed participating with the Savanna Rotary. He also loved spending his time watching trains, studying history and war, and spending time on his farm. Most of all, Richard cherished the time he spent with his family and his friends.
Richard will be dearly missed by his brother, Lawrence (Donna) Smith; four children, Richard K. Smith Jr., David A. (Wendy) Smith, William H. Smith, and Alyce A. Smith; and a grandson, Garrett K. Smith.
Richard is preceded in death by his parents.