Edward J. Smith, 63, of Buffalo, SD, passed away on December 17,2021 at the Southwest Healthcare Hospital in Bowman.  Memorial Services for Ed will be on Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 2:00 pm at the Harding County Rec Center in Buffalo.  Pastor Henry Mohagen will officiate the services.

On March 22nd , 1958, Edward James Smith was born in Belle Fouche, SD to J. Richard (Dick) and Martha (Anderson) Smith . Ed was the 11th of 12 children in the family . Ed attended kindergarten through high school in Buffalo, where he graduated in 1976.

As a young man, Ed enjoyed playing pool and darts, bowling, and fishing . He was also an avid horseshoe pitcher and enjoyed competing all over the region until he started dialysis in 2018.

Ed worked on several ranches in eastern Montana , North Dakota, and South D akota. O f course , he was often found at one of his brother's or sister's ranches, lending a hand . He also worked for American C olloid, Baroid, Belle Fourche and St Onge Sale Barn s , and worked on road construction for 8 years . He graduated from Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in 1996 with an A ssociate's D egree in Feedlot and V eterinarian T echnology. Ed's greatest accomplishment was on February 27 th , 2007 , when Ed quit drinking, a battle he was very proud to have won.

Ed may have seemed like a gruff character , but he was actually a wonderful caregiver to his U ncle Carl Anderson and his Mom . Ed enjoyed checking up on people around the community who needed help and who were his friends . He had weekly pizza parties with neighbors Bob Kriege and Lois Lindholm, e ven cooking meals for Bob as his health failed . In recent years he had daily phone conversations with friends, Don Krambeer, Ray Anderson, and others.

After working all over the country for everyone else, in 2000 Ed bought a home in Buffalo and settl ed there . Ed was able to help care for his mother Martha, picking up her m ail and running errands for her . He star ted Ed Smith E nterprises in 2007 and was self -employed until he was no longer able to work in 201 7 .

Ed was very proud of all his nieces and nephews and kept a record of all their names and birth days in his little book. He would often say ," Guess whose birthday it is today? "or "Did you call your cousin and wish her a happy birthday?"

Ed was known to be rather stubborn, and determined to live, and die, on his own terms.  He was able to stay home, where he wanted to be, until a week before his death . Ed was a simple guy who will be missed by many.

Ed was proceeded in death by his dad J. Richard (Dick) Smith, mom Martha Sabo and her second husband Ivan Sabo, sister Joann, brother George, sister in laws Marie Smith and Maryann Smith, brother in laws Gene Ladson, Willy Tenold, Wesley Schalesky , and Keith Hanson .

Ed is survived by his brothers Richard (Diana) Smith, Conrad (Kaye) Smith, Kenny (Carol) Smith, David (Paula) Smith, Fred (Karen) Smith, all of the Buffalo area, and sisters Carol Schalesky of Hettinger, ND, Margaretta Hanson of Almont, ND, Venoy Tenold of Reva, SD, and Evely n (Dan) Flees of Wichita, KS, and many nieces and nephews, greats, great-greats, and great- great- greats – too numerous to list

Memorials are suggested to:  Southwest Healthcare in Bowman or the Spearfish Dialysis Center