Obituary of Karl Theodore Smith

Karl Theodore Smith, 83, of State College passed away on March 28th, 2017. Born August 16, 1934 in Warren, PA, he was the youngest son of C. Willard and Nan P. Smith. Karl married Nancy Norling at Westminister Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, DE and remained married to Nancy for over 60 years. He graduated from Warren (PA) High School and from Penn State University, where he was a brother at Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, an ROTC member, and earned a BS degree in Industrial Engineering. After graduation, Karl served in the US Navy until January 1959, after which he was employed by Crucible Specialty Metals in Syracuse, NY until his retirement in 1989. Karl loved music and for many years was active with The Bernie Schmidt Singers, a popular singing group in the Syracuse area. No gathering of his closest friends was complete without breaking into song, coupled with his famously infectious laughter. Karl and Nancy always loved Penn State and moved to State College in 1993 where they lived for the past 23 years. In State College, he was a member of State College Presbyterian Church where he sang in the choir, and busied himself with continuing education courses from PSU and by rooting for the Nittany Lions in various sporting events. Karl is survived by three sons: Eric (wife Cindy, children Hannah Corinne and Henry) of Peachtree City, GA, Mark (wife Mary, children Kathleen, Matthew, Ryan, and Haley) of Lima, N.Y. , and Neil (wife Tina) of Chicago, IL. Karl is also survived by his older siblings Willard Smith of Luray VA and Patricia Smith Cochran of Fairfax, VA. Memorial services will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to State College Presbyterian Church, 132 W Beaver Ave, State College, PA 16801. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.