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Ronald William Smith, 77, of Esko passed away on Monday, July 4, 2022, at Essentia Health Moose Lake. He was born on July 2, 1945, in Duluth to William and Martha Smith. He graduated from Denfeld High School in 1963. He served in the U.S. Army during wars in Korea and Vietnam, where he volunteered for an additional year of service. He later attended Minnesota Technical Institute in Duluth and received an associate degree in drafting. On July 15, 1967, he married Marie Suer in Duluth. On Sept. 24, 1994, he married Angela Pickar Morrison in Cloquet. Ron worked at National Iron as a draftsman, then at Potlatch as a maintenance manager. He was a member of the VFW Post 3979 in Cloquet and St. Francis Catholic Church in Carlton. His hobbies included woodworking and fishing. He especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Martha Baker; his first wife, Marie; daughter Jennifer Smith; and brother Iver Smith. He will be missed by his wife Angela of Esko; son Justin Morrison of Brainerd; daughters Kim (Karl) Becker of Wyoming, Marcy (Keith) Alfonsi of St. Paul, Sara (Jen) Jewell of Duluth, Rickchelle (Greg) Baron of Wadena, and Amber (Carl) Grussendorf of Cloquet; brothers Jeff (Sue) Baker of Pennsylvania and Tim (Dorie) Baker of Duluth; sister Nell Rae (Denny) Dwyer of Florida; six grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Visitation: 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 8 at Atkins Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet. Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Saturday until the 11 a.m. Memorial Mass of Christian Burial at St. Francis Catholic Church in Carlton. Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery with military honors accorded by the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard. A lunch will follow in the church fellowship hall. To sign the guestbook and leave an online tribute see http://www.atkinsnorthlandfuneralhome.com.