George James Smith

George James Smith, age 69, was called home to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 23, 2015.   He was born in Walker Township, MI, attended Spring Lake High School and graduated from High Point High School in North Carolina.  He then went on to graduate from Kendall College of Art and Design.  George worked for Hekman Furniture for many years as Director of Design and also worked as a freelance furniture designer.  He was a kind and loving man with a great sense of humor.  George had a love for the outdoors, especially boating, hunting, and fishing.  He had an appreciation for several genres of music, but had a special love for the piano.  Above all, George’s creativity was woven into every aspect of his life, which allowed him to use those gifts in many special ways.  He will be lovingly remembered by his daughters, Courtney and Chris Minor, Ashley and Sam Jones, Dori and Todd VanderMeulen; 6 grandchildren; sisters, Janet and Don Pell, Marti Twomey; brother, Bert and Debbie Smith.  A Celebration of George’s Life will be held on Thursday at 1 PM at Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf Funeral Home (Grandville) 4145 Chicago Drive SW with Pastor Don Pell officiating.  Relatives and friends may meet the family on Thursday from 12-1 PM at the funeral home prior to the service.