Veral Nate Smedley

Obituary

Veral Nate Smedley, 95, of Cheyenne died Jan. 2 at Davis Hospice Center.

He was born May 24, 1922, in Dingle, Idaho, and had lived in Cheyenne since 1989.

Veral was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy as a first class petty officer electronic technician. He was a system construction engineer for the UPRR and a member of American Legion Post 6.

Mr. Smedley loved building bridges, hunting, fishing, camping and Mended Hearts.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Smedley, whom he married Jan. 11, 2002; sons, Edward Smedley (Helen) and Walt Connell (Susan); daughters, Debbie Neal (Randy), Sara Young (Pete), Shauna Smith (Ed) and Cindy Reynders (Rich); and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Veral was preceded in death by his wife, Cleo; his parents, Edward and Sarah; two brothers, Donald and Forrest; and a sister, Ione Hansen.

Services will be at 9 a.m. Friday at Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints Lincolnway Chapel.

Burial will follow at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers please contribute to Davis Hospice or a charity of your choice.

Source: "Wyoming Tribune Eagle"

The following is an excerpt from the book GO WEST by, Jeremy Sparks famed rodeo cowboy. Jeremy writes of the influence that "Smed" had on his life:

                                             '''My Good Samaritan'''

After selling the house, I moved to the campground on F.E. Warren Air Force Base. My new abode was a 19-foot travel trailer that I often pulled to circuit rodeos.
Missing out on most of the “firsts” that come with a newborn and being a new dad stirred up a lot of emotions. Sitting around a campfire was the perfect setting to reminisce and doctor the pain. At times, it was almost too much to bear.
On one hand I was bitter, hurt, broken, sad, and mad. On the other hand, I was relieved and excited. Faced with the decision to either fall into depression or recommit to living my dream, I had to choose.
How could I find the confidence to regain my will to fight? I wondered.
Veral and Mary Smedley, who lived next door to the home Kriszti and I owned, had been good to us since the day we bought the house. Smed, as I called him, was a World War II veteran and an oldcowboy. Ms. Mary was a retired nurse and devoted Christian—a saint in her own right.
Smed’s grandmother was a Sparks. He knew we had to be kin. “There just aren’t too many Sparks,” he would say. Just like Donny and I bonded over our last name in 1991,Smed and I did the same.
Smed shared old-timer stories in an attempt to reduce the focus of my current situation. He understood that worry robbed happiness, and that kind words can cheer a heart (Proverbs 12:25).
It was clear to him that I was slipping. I constantly questioned myself about what I could have done differently, how I could have fought harder for my son. My heartbreak was palpable.
As Wyoming’s winter set in, the camper was no longer a safehome. Pressured with love, the Smedleys insisted that I move in with them. I finally agreed.
While I was extremely grateful, it was a pretty humbling event.
They showed me an amazing testimony of God’s love. Much like the Good Samaritan story in Luke, Chapter 10, I was knocked down, robbed, and wrecked. Ms. Mary and Smed picked me up from life’s beating, took me in, cared for me, and treated me like a neighbor, the way God designed.
Smed’s young adulthood was complicated. In many ways, he saw himself in me. He was a cowboy and a sailor. He had suffered through a bitter divorce, and experienced a gut-wrenching child custody case himself. His wisdom was profound and helped me rise out of the ashes.
Every day he would tell me to “lean forward,” and assured me that, “It was a beautiful life, if I never weakened and gave up.”
During my time of desperation, I often felt the closest to God. Maybe it was because everything had been stripped from me and there was nothing else to cling to.

Source: "Go West"