Whether plowing his fields from sunrise to sunset, or hunched for hours over a large smoking cooker with a pig wrapped around its spit, Harold C. Smith always felt good about what he was doing.
“He’d say, `Putting food on people’s plates is what I do best,'” said his daughter Lu Ann Whitmer. “He was a farmer at heart, whose only job was to help feed the world.”
Mr. Smith, 71, of Plano, a lifelong farmer and the owner and operator of Smith Farms, a well-known Chicago-area hog-roasting business, died of cancer Wednesday, Sept. 22, in Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich.
Born on his family’s 500-acre cattle and grain farm in Plano, Mr. Smith not only cultivated his land, but also did farming for others for many years. He stopped raising cattle in the early 1980s and started an evergreen nursery to help supplement the family’s income.
“He loved farming and didn’t want to give it up,” his daughter said. “He always looked for ways to keep things going, especially during the lean years.”
In the early 1960s, after a friend showed him a cooker and taught him how to use it, Mr. Smith began throwing pig roasts, initially just for family and friends, and later for customers under the name Smith Farms.
“Many of his first jobs were throughout the Barrington area, where they’d throw these big outdoor parties and events with hundreds of people,” his daughter said. “Back then he was known as the Pig Man, because he was about the only person doing what he did.”
Within a few years, Mr. Smith built his business into a success, serving hog roasts all over the Midwest and for high-profile events such as the 1968 Democratic convention, Chicago’s 4th of July lakefront festivities, and corporate yacht parties at Navy Pier, family members said.
“Some of his favorite roasts were right here in Plano, when someone was getting married or for a big family reunion,” said his daughter Susan. “He never had to advertise, because his word-of-mouth business always kept him busy.”
During the last 40 years, Mr. Smith’s hog-roasting business grew from one cooker to six and employed several family members and friends. It is a year-round operation that organized more than 100 outdoor roasts last summer, family members said.
“He never cared how bad the weather got or what the conditions were like, because all that mattered was making the day special for those that were there,” Whitmer said.
Mr. Smith served in the Navy during the Korean War. He was married for 50 years to his wife, Betty, who died in 2001. He was also a former 4-H leader, and was a member of the American Legion and the Masonic Lodge.
Other survivors include his companion, Frannie Nielsen; two sons, Randy and Roger; 10 grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday in Turner Funeral Home, 3952 Turner Ave., Plano. Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday in United Methodist Church of Plano, Clark and Hale Streets, Plano.
