Conservative Party, community will miss Emil Smith

Editor:

This is in memory of Gregory Emil Smith.

I would always run into Emil all over the place in Orleans County. Whether it was at the gas station, McDonalds, Tops or other establishments you could count on running into Emil and be prepared to get into an in-depth conversation.

We would always talk politics, what was going on locally with the towns or villages or just whatever was on our minds. Emil talked to a lot of people so he knew what many in the community were doing and what was going on in their lives.

He always had a good ear for what you were saying and had sound advice. I was lucky to have been able to be a part of his life. Emil was a very active and core member of the Orleans County Conservative Party. You could always count on Emil to come to the meetings and come to the events that we would set up to get our party out in front of the people.

Photo courtesy of Paul Lauricella – Emil Smith, left, and Al Lofthouse man the booth for the Orleans County Conservatve Party at an event last year.

Emil ran for County Legislature last time around and made us all proud that we had a Conservative in the running. He was going to run again this year and was very excited about doing so. We had been meeting up regularly at McDonalds and discussing our plans.

I was going to run with him and we would have the two Conservatives running, something this county lacks desperately. I saw Emil on Monday and we talked for about an hour or so and I saw him Tuesday night at the party monthly meeting. We talked after in the driveway about what we were going to do next.

During our conversation he mentioned a guy’s name that had for some reason just popped up in his head. He said I don’t know why I thought of this guy it just came to me. He was a good guy and a really smart guy. He quoted something he said to him years ago. So I asked him does he still see this guy? He said no he was killed in a car accident years ago. So I said, not thinking anything of it, “Well it was nice of you to think of him and say his name after all these years.”

We talked some more and probably would have talked even longer but I had to go. The next day he died in that horrible truck accident. It is a real shock. I am very thankful that I got to spend time with him the last two days of his life. I will miss him forever.

This is a big loss for our community and a setback for our party. We have lost two committee members in the last two years to tragedy, my son and Emil. I will always think of this man when I am in all these places.

I won’t forget his laugh, smile and personality. I will truly miss the conversations. He was one of a kind. This is not good-bye, my friend.

I will never forget you. Until we meet again. I know we will have a lot to talk about. RIP Brother.

Paul Lauricella
Lyndonville