Francis Wade Smith

ELLENBURG DEPOT | Francis Wade Smith was born Feb. 11, 1937, to Asa W. and Helen (Lord) Smith, where he was raised on the small family farm in Ellenburg Center, N.Y. He graduated from Ellenburg Central School and earned an associate degree in business from Clinton Community College. He enlisted in the Marine Corps as a young seventeen-year-old in 1954 and served in various U. S military bases as an electronics technician. Following his military service, he married the former Eleanor Broll of Philadelphia, where they raised their three children in the Chazy area. He embarked on his civilian career as a mechanic for several years, working on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the missile site in Ellenburg, later joined the CVPH team as an electrical technician and Georgia Pacific as an electrical supervisor. His "official" career ended and saw him emerge as an independent contractor with his new company, Smith Electric. "Frank," as he was sometimes known, was a longtime sportsman with a love for skeet shooting. He committed many years to the sport and was elected into the NYS Skeet Hall of Fame, having shot over 200,000 registered birds. In 2006 he was noted as a lifetime NSSA Skeet Shooter. He was a lifetime member of Plattsburgh Rod & Gun Club and served as its president for several years. Frank was also awarded a People of PAFB Through the Years A Shooter – Friend Award in 2006, and, in 2013, he was awarded a Fifty Year Award, 1963-2013, from Plattsburgh Rod & Gun Club. Wade, aka "Smitty," was also a member of American Legion Post 20 in Plattsburgh and became a Freemason in 1979. In 1980 he married the former Betty J. Barcomb. They spent many years camping and traveling to skeet shoots around the country where he sought the perfect '100' and she was a referee for many of those skeet shoots. Survivors include his wife, Betty (Barcomb) Smith; sons, Stephen F. of Florida, Stuart W. (Lorraine) of New Jersey, Sheila (Parker) Robinson of Florida; granddaughters Amanda (Frank) Cline, Candence and Elaine Smith; Kristen Bales; nephews Kevin and Kris Smith and Shane Rowe; sister, Glenda Smith Rowe of Plattsburgh; brothers-in-law Ernest Barcomb, Jr., Dale Barcomb and companion, Diana; and sisters-in-law Diana Shaw, Susan Shaw, Laurie (Roger) Garleck, Tammy Barcomb and companion, George Burleigh. Not to be forgotten is his constant companion and lap cat, Silly. Mr. Smith was predeceased by his parents; his brother Keith; brothers-in-law Robert Shaw, Donald Shaw and Wayne Rowe; and father-in-law and mother-n-law Ernest Barcomb, Sr., and his wife, Marcella. There will be no calling hours or service. A memorial celebration will be held July 25, 2025, at the Town of Ellenburg Mausoleum in Ellenburg Depot, N.Y., at 1 p.m. The Smith family would like to thank North Country Hospice for its excellent care, the Veterans Administration, Plattsburgh, and North Country Home Services, Plattsburgh. Their work for local Alzheimer's patients makes them worthy of continued support and contributions. Arrangements have been entrusted into the care of the Rabideau Funeral Home, 5614 Route 11, Ellenburg. Online condolences may be made to the family by visiting www.rabideaufuneralhome.com.

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