For many years one of the most active men in the Niagara fruit growing industry, Joseph J. Smith, 70, of Winona, died at the Hamilton General Hospital last Friday.
He was past president of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Association, past president of the Niagara District Grape Growers' Association.
For the last 14 years he had acted as a land valuator for the Ontario Department of Highways and he was doing work on this connection recently.
It was his wide knowledge of fruit land values that brought about this appointment at the time when the Queen Elizabeth Way was being constructed, and he arranged the purchase of most of the right-of-way for this road from Winona to St. Catharines.
One of the original members of the Saltfleet High School Board, when it was formed in 1927, he held office until he resigned in the year 1946. He had also been a trustee of S.S. No. 1, Saltfleet (Winona) for over 30 years.
A son of the late William and Charlotte (Green) Smith, he was born in Winona on February 3, 1881, and had spent his entire life there as a fruit grower. He was an adherent of Fifty United Church.
Surviving besides his wife, the former Maud Havens, are three sons, Claude, Morris and Lloyd, all of Winona; 4 daughters, Miss Vera smith, Mrs. Lyle Glover and Mrs. Robert Harber, of Winona, and Mrs. Gordon Hunt, of Hamilton; a brother, Harry Smith, of Winona; two sisters, Miss Lillie Smith, Winona; and Mrs. Louise Cunningham, of Nelson.
Funeral services were held on Monday afternoon with interment in Fifty Cemetery.
