Obituary of George Arthur Smith

George Arthur Smith of Burlington, formerly of Somerville, a retired special agent for the Internal Revenue Service,  passed away at home with his family at his bedside after a short illness on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.  He was 88 years old. 

George was born in Somerville, MA and was one of ten children born to John and Edith Smith.  He grew up in Somerville and was a graduate of Mission High School.  He enlisted in the Army after graduating from High School and served for two years at the end of the Korean War.  He held the rank of Specialist Third Class and was the recipient of the Good Conduct Medal.  He served honorably, and was discharged in January of 1957.  George then went to Bentley College to earn his bachelor’s degree.  He spent over 35 years working at Gillette as a distribution manager and logistics specialist.  He retired early and started a second career working as a special agent for the Internal Revenue Service.  Also during those years, he was a part time professor for Northeastern University teaching classes at their Boston and Burlington Campuses.  Even in retirement, he continued to work as a private tax consultant.

George and his late wife Gloria were active members of the “Skirts and Flirts” square dancing group.  They enjoyed the many friendships formed within the group. George was also a longtime member of the “Stars and Strikes” bowling league.  In both groups, George’s organization and business skills led him to serve terms as president.  George was very active in his son's lives in many different ways.  He coached their little league teams for many years, took them camping, shared his love of sports, and was a strong mentor and role model to them.  He was a wealth of knowledge, a great advisor, and had an arsenal of sayings that his sons affectionately call “Dadisms”.  He was so proud when his son Peter made his debut as a major league baseball pitcher.  He was equally as proud of his other sons’ accomplishments.  He always remained a loyal Red Sox and Patriots fan.

In his leisure time, George was an avid reader, his favorite genre being history.  He will be dearly missed by all that knew and loved him. May the grace of God bless his beautiful soul.

George was the beloved husband of 61 years to Gloria (DeOliveira) Smith.  He was the proud father of Michael Smith & his wife Barbara of Westford, Peter Smith & his wife Victoria of Cumming, GA, and Jeffrey Smith & his fiancée Nicole Cushion of Burlington.  He was predeceased by his siblings;  Irene Kelley, Dorothy McMakin, Marie McAllister, Edwin Smith, Bernard Smith,  Edith Feltrup, Barbara Beale, John Smith, and Theresa Caserta-Fahey.  He was the loving grandfather of Alexandra Smith, Peter James Smith & his wife Ashley, Julia Rose Smith, Austin Tyler Smith, Ashley Kay Smith, and Justin Ryan Smith.  He was the great-grandfather of Lucas Karpati.

Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington on Monday, October 28 from 10:30 a.m. to Noon.  Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Margaret Church in St. Veronica Parish, 111 Winn Street, Burlington at 12:30 p.m. Services will conclude with a burial at Chestnut Hill Cemetery, Burlington. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials in George’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105. 

For online guestbook and video tribute see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net