- Date Of Birth: April 29, 1920
- Date Of Death: March 31, 2016
- State: Utah
Bert Smith
The sign on Smith and Edwards, The Country Boy’s Store, in Farr West, Utah proudly declares “We Have Anything You Want… If We Can Find It.” The store’s founder, Albert Newell (Bert) Smith, died peacefully at home on March 31, 2016. His grandson, Craig Smith, has served as president of Smith and Edwards since his dad, Jim Smith, died of cancer in March of 2013 and will carry on smoothly with the help of over 100 loyal employees. Bert’s love of country and the Constitution are evident the minute customers walk in the door and a visit with him always meant a lesson in freedom and liberty. Bert was still working, buying and selling, going places and keeping in touch with friends and family even though he was nearly 96.
Bert was born April 29, l920 to Arminta Willie and George Albert Smith on their homestead in Holbrook, Idaho. He learned the store business in his parents’ Smith General Store. By 1928, Bert’s father had to give up homesteading and the Store and the family headed for Ogden, Utah and cattle dealing. In the 20’s, the Ogden Stockyards were humming and Albert (Pinto) Smith, a cattle broker and horse trader, brought home enough money to buy a brick house for his family and a touring car. During the Depression, the family lost their home and moved into the bunkhouses at the stockyards. Bert at 16 went off on his own, started hauling and soon bought his own truck.
He met Amelia Shaw at Weber High School and married her in January of 1941 in Liberty, Utah. Their marriage was later solemnized in the Salt Lake Temple. Sherma was born on January 10, 1942. Life was good in west Ogden until 1944 when Bert was drafted. Within three weeks, he had to sell his trucking company and report for duty. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 14, 1944 and served in the South Pacific as an armored amphibian tractor crewman from January to September of 1945. Bert and Amelia’s first son, James Bert, was born on V-day, August 14, 1945. After his discharge on November 27, 1945, Bert said he spent the rest of his life trying to get even with FDR for making him sell his trucking business and leave Amelia and little Sherma behind. Amelia was the hero, saving all the money from the sale of the trucks and living on $85 a month while Bert was gone.
After the war, Bert found a ranch for sale in Ruby Valley, Nevada and with Amelia’s savings, sheer hard work and risk-taking, bought it 30 days later.
