Leslie (Les) Bryan Smith, Jr.

Leslie Bryan Smith Jr. (Les), 91, of Lawrence passed away on January 3rd, 2014.
Les was born November 10th, 1922, in El Dorado to Leslie Sr. and Pearl Smith. He was preceded in death by a brother, Leo, of Olathe, and sister Doris Miller, of Salina.
Les married Catherine Jane Gribben (Kay) in 1946 in Salina where they raised four sons and a daughter. He retired after working 40 years as a freight and passenger train conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad. They then moved to Eugene, Oregon. Catherine passed in January, 1996, and Les moved to Lawrence.
Les was a veteran of World War II. He served as an Engineer-Gunner on a B-26 Bomber. He flew 45 missions and 250 combat hours in the Normandy-Northern France-Rhineland Air Offensive in Europe. He was awarded the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal and EAME Campaign Medal.
Survivors include sons Ed of Baltimore, Maryland; Dennis of Topeka; Ron of Prairie Village; Steve of Lawrence; daughter Debby Woodruff of Eugene, Oregon; six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.
Date of a memorial service and burial in Hope, Kansas will be announced later this year.
Please sign this guestbook at Obituaries.LJWorld.com.