George W. Smith, retired Hartford Courant sportswriter, passed away peacefully at the Hebrew Home in West Hartford on February 9, 2017, after a long battle with Lewy Body dementia and Parkinson's disease. He was supported with love in his passing by his family and friends. He was 76.
A native of Meriden, CT, George was the oldest of five children of the late George Smith and Dorothy (O'Brien) Smith. He was a graduate of Lyman Hall High School and University of Connecticut. As an Army ROTC graduate, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1964. He was promoted to Captain in 1966 and served his country in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, including in the embattled City of Hue during the Tet Offensive.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Army, he returned to Connecticut and worked for one year at the Meriden Record and then embarked on a 25-year career with the Hartford Courant as a sportswriter. He covered all sports, traveled with the Whalers and wrote a popular weekly column called “Looking Back”. His first love however was boxing, and upon his retirement in 1995, he became a boxing judge and was one of the founding members of the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2013, he was honored for his contributions to the sport of boxing. In addition, during his retirement, he wrote four military history books: The Siege at Hue (1999), Carlson's Raid (2000), The Do-or-Die Men (2003) and MacArthur's Escape (2005).

George enjoyed reading, history, golfing and listening to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, but he particularly loved the beach and enjoyed the family annual vacation at Misquamicut where he taught his beloved daughter Anna to ride the waves.

George was a loving and devoted family man. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Mary Ellen Delligan Smith, his daughter Anna Shostak and her husband Ben and his three grandsons, Henry, Owen and Brendan, all of West Hartford. He is also survived by his brother Jim Smith of Florida and sisters Leslie McCoy and Lynne Dunn of the Tacoma, WA area and Kathy Roderick of Southington, CT and their children, Dava McCoy, Rob Warner, Jennifer Taylor, Billy Roderick and Deanna Hribko. Additional survivors include his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Frank and Carol Delligan of West Hartford and their children Mike Delligan, Amy Ferrer and Melissa Bambery.
Friends and relatives are invited to calling hours on Tuesday, February 14th from 4:00 to 8:00 pm at the Sheehan-Hilborn-Breen Funeral Home, 1084 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, February 15th at 10:00 at the Church of St. Peter Claver, 47 Pleasant Street, West Hartford. Friends are requested to go directly to the church. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery in West Hartford with military honors. The family would like to thank all the staff at the Hebrew Home, especially his nurses and nursing assistants, who took such loving care of George during the past three years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc., 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047. Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com.

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